The Young Progressives Party (YPP) has rejected the results of the just-concluded presidential election released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Wednesday.
INEC said president Buhari was elected for a second term with over N15.1 million votes to defeat the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who polled over N11 million votes.
But, the YPP said the decision to reject the results of the election was reached after careful assessment of available facts and proper consultations with stakeholders.
The party accused the major political parties of electoral malpractices.
“Neither the APC nor the PDP would have deserved to win the presidential election as both participated in massive rigging that led to the outrageous figures churned out in their perceived strongholds.
“Our party would not have had any problem accepting the results if it emanated from a transparent process,” the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Martins Egbeola, said in a statement, yesterday.
The party continued: “The Prof. Yakubu Mahmood-led INEC obviously never learnt anything from the sudden postponement, as the shabbily conducted elections saw the flouting of electoral guidelines on the use of card readers, to authenticate voters.
“This happened in many parts of the country, especially in states like Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Gombe and Borno, thereby giving room for unprecedented manipulations.”
The party, he said, also commended Nigerians for their resilience and for exercising their franchise in a peaceful manner.
The leadership of the YPP also congratulates our presidential candidate, Professor Kingsley Moghalu, for his undeniable capacity in disrupting the system and redefining politics in Nigeria.
“We also congratulate the Senator-elect for Anambra South on the platform of our great party, Mr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, for his doggedness that led to his overwhelming victory and all our members.”
But, the People’s Trust differed from YPP. The party, through its presidential candidate, Mr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim congratulated Buhari on his victory in the February 23 election.
Olawepo- Hashim, in a statement released in Abuja, said the President must however address lapses noticed during the elections.
He noted that not a few gaps, including card reader failures, thump printing of ballot papers, allocation of results, violence and killing plagued the polls, but he added that he was congratulating the declared winner for the greater good, peace and progress of the nation.
He added that his decision to congratulate the President was borne out of respect for the Peace Accord, which all the aspirants signed.
He expressed his gratitude to the team of supporters whom he said broke the bandwagon and showedloyalty to him, making him one of the frontrunners beyond the dominant party candidates.
“I am particularly thankful to the people of Yauri Emirate and Zuru in Kebbi State who spoke through their votes that family ties cannot be easily broken by politics.
“While the APC and PDP remained the dominant parties in Kebbi State, the great people of Kebbi showed loyalty to the bloodline by making sure that People’s Trust emerged third in most of the state.
“I continued to receive calls of support and solidarity from titleholders in the emirates and village heads who continued to say to me, ‘I hope you saw our hand?’
“I saw their hands. The votes were many, not the 96 votes declared by Yakubu.”