Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday described the declaration by chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, that there were no underage voters in Kano State as a threat to the country’s democracy.
The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, accused Yakubu of allowing the Federal Government to push him into making such false declaration.
It said the declaration of the INEC boss that no minors were registered as voters in Kano State, despite documentary evidence in the public domain and even by some of his officials, has raised doubts about the sincerity of the electoral body to deliver free, fair and credible elections in 2019.
The PDP recalled that it had raised the alarm that the panel, made up of INEC officials, set up by Yakubu to probe reports of underage voting in the recent Kano State Local Government election, was designed to produce a predetermined end, and said it has been vindicated.
The opposition party called on Nigerians and members of the international community to take note of alleged plots by INEC and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to conceal the existence of underage voters in Kano and Katsina states.
PDP said: “Nigerians will recall that when the issue first came to the fore, the APC mounted a staunch and unyielding defence for INEC, thus, betraying their vested interests in the illegality.
“INEC, on its part, issued an initial reaction confirming the existence of underage voting in the February 10, 2018 Kano council poll, but attempted to shift the blame to the Kano State government which conducted the poll.
“When confronted with the fact that it was INEC and not Kano state that registered the minors and issued them with valid voter’s card, the commission, again, tried to exonerate itself by claiming that its officials registered the minors following threats by the communities.
“In the face of these INEC’s embarrassing dances, how then did Prof. Yakubu’s committee arrive at its findings when even officials of INEC, including those who superintended over the registration of the minors, had already declared the reasons behind their action? The entire world is shocked at how INEC, under Prof. Yakubu, is caving in to pressure by APC to manipulate processes leading to the 2019 general election.