Postponement Of Feb. 16 Presidential Election By INEC: Excerpts Of A World Press Conference By National Chairman Of PDP

Prince Uche Secondus Marking The End Of Presidential And National Assembly Campaigns Today February, 14, 2019 At The Party’s National Campaign Headquarters, Legacy House, Maitama, Abuja

AN OPEN LETTER TO NIGERIANS

Gentlemen and ladies of the press,

As we round up the Presidential campaigns today, we have invited you to give you an update on the situation of things ahead of Saturday’s all important election.

We are grateful for very many things that the Almighty God has bestowed upon us.

These great gifts include a beautiful country, a resourceful people and important role to be a beacon for the continent of Africa and the World.

However, the promise of Nigeria has never been fully realized because of poor leadership and bad governance.

Each election provides us with an opportunity to right this wrong and truly take our place in the world.

This election more than any other provides an opportunity for Nigeria to get on the right path.

The challenge that we now face is one of expectation. Those entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring that the expression of the people’s will is made manifest, have time and again failed to demonstrate good faith. We expect better than we are getting,

A sick narrative has emerged, one of systemic and systematic rigging, manipulation of the true record of the voters register and a cabal you can no longer trust with the trajectory and growth of our democracy and Nation.

This is the evidence of bad faith by those managing the election and the Government of the day:

1. Systemic Manipulation of the Voters Register

It is clear that INEC did not, in fact, do a cleanup of the register of voters before it published it. In previous INEC administrations this eventuality was mitigated by administrative arrangements wherein a voter did accreditation in the morning and voted in the afternoon – so if a voter wanted to vote twice, say at A and B, they would have to go to A and get accredited, then go to B and also get accredited, and then go back to A to vote and the then go to B to vote – an onerous regimen that prevented cultivating.

In the new continuous voting regime, this administrative support measure has been disposed of specifically to facilitate multiple voting by a huge number of APC voters…

2. Abuse of PVC

The Voter’s register contains the data of dead voters.

Permanent Voters Cards for dead voters were printed and distributed nationwide.

Fellow Citizens, Government data shows that the gross death rate in Nigeria is 12.5 per 1000 lives

We have evidence that over 1,050,051 dead voters will vote in this election.

The decision that dead voters will cast ballots has been taken by INEC and the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The idea of ghost voters is consistent with the nature of this virtual President.

3. Registration of Foreigners as Voters

There has been a coordinated approach to register foreigners as voters, mainly from Niger and Cameroon.

That is why INEC has established so many polling Units along the border with Cameroon and Niger.

That is despite the fact that population data does not justify the move

4. Manipulation of Security Agencies

As we prepare for the general elections on Saturday, multiple intelligence sources available to us in  PDP shows that All Progressives Congress, APC, in conjunction with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, through their ICT situation room have concluded plans to manipulate the outcome of Saturday’s election in the followings ways.

1. By deliberately corrupting the INEC voter’s register to induce voter’s suppression in PDP’s stronghold operations areas with the aim of disenfranchising at least four voters through corrupting of their four names on the voters’ register.
The strategy is to create artificial problems wherein at least four registered voters can be disfranchised in PDP stronghold areas.

The target is to adequately limit the estimated members of PDP who would want to vote in their areas.

3. There is a deliberate ploy to disrupt Internet services and jam cell tower coverage ostensibly to prevent Nigerians from covering the elections via social media.
There is also confirmed intelligence showing that critical PDP players in this election are to be earmarked, arrested and quarantined to a particular location to give way for the elections to be rigged.

4. The other intelligence available to the party also shows that some uniforms of para-military and military operatives particularly the Army and Police have been produced in large numbers for use by civilians during the voting period.

5. To send faulty card reader machine to certain identified PDP strongholds and record a deliberate slow screening of voters to frustrate and discourage them.

6. They have packaged large sums of foreign currency to induce voters and security and INEC operatives.

7. We also have on good authority that all the electoral frauds via the ICT which the APC has mapped out are being coordinated by a highly placed government official (body bag) with the help of some foreigners inside an apartment in the government House and other locations in Kaduna state

We have deep respect for our security personnel who are sworn to protect and defend our constitution and the integrity of our nation.

President Buhari administration, however, is determined to subvert the impartiality of our security agencies.

It has recently moved personnel to areas along the border, where they will be employed to create violence, stuff ballots and aid Non-Nigerians to vote in a predetermined manner.

5. Misuse of State Resources

We have all witnessed the extravagant amounts displayed in this campaign by APC in advertisements, billboards and the use of State media as an instrument of the party.

The use of public resources for partisan purposes is unprecedented.

6. Announcement of Results

Despite resources being deployed to set up an electronic system to announce results, this has been ruled out by INEC.

Mainly because the President himself has refused to sign the law that would have made this possible.

The plan is to announce results in the way it was done recently in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Where the winner was declared the loser and the loser was declared the winner.

Let us be clear.

Stealing this election is stealing the future of the youth of Nigeria and stealing the future of this country. It will subvert the Promise of Nigeria.

Fellow Nigerians, the reason why PDP and its Presidential candidate Abubakar Atiku decided to run is to safeguard this beautiful promise.

It is because of our faith in our people that we are still part of this election.

However, the hour has now come that we call upon you citizens to do your duty and protect your right to a decent future;

If we allow the Government and INEC to continue on their way, we are guaranteed another false start, and tragically that means a Nigeria that does not work. A Nigeria that never leads. A Nigeria whose resources are wasted in perverted uses.

In the coming days, we will give direction on the course that the Nation should take, irrespective of the wishes of the small minority who do not care about our country.

In the immediate term we demand as follows:

1. That the current Government respects the will of the people.

2. That INEC calls an immediate meeting of the political parties participating in the Presidential election to appoint representatives drawn from the parties that will oversee their work.

3. That the peace committee prevails on the Federal Government and various agencies involved to go the right way of free and fair elections.

4. That INEC to clean up their voter’s register and retain for accreditation and voting during the elections only credible voter’s register.

5. That the various security agencies to remain unbiased, fair and transparent on any matter concerning this election and also for them to stop unwarranted harassment and intimidation of opposition.

One of the primary duties of that oversight team will be to address all the issues around the PVC.

The oversight team shall ensure that INEC identifies and deletes all Ghost Voters from the register and publishes the unique serial numbers of all cards and computers being used to verify voters in all polling units in the country.

The list should be availed to the parties, media houses and observers. The oversight body should report to the Nation within 24 hours, to foster confidence in an already compromised process.

3. Election Observer Missions should immediately release a preliminary report based on their assessment of the pre-election situation and publish a verdict.

4. That the security agencies foil the planned use of foreign voters from Niger and Cameroon.

Whatever our differences, we have always had bonds that bind us together; the trouble of Nigeria has always been lack of leadership.

Before I end this press conference, may I remark on the letter written by the minister of justice and attorney general of the federation to the chairman of INEC seeking the postponement of the election in Zamfara state?

1. The AGF letter is part of APC’s design to arm-twist INEC and judiciary to take illegal action in their favor.

2. What the AGF is seeking is not backed by law.

3. The AGF is an interested party on this matter and has no moral right to advice INEC.

4. The inability of the APC to field candidates due to self-inflicted crisis when other parties did within the stipulated period for the election is not covered by section 38 & 39 of the Electoral Act 2010 which the AGF is relying on his dubious advice.

5. I therefore call on INEC to follow the dictates of the law and continue in its plan to achieve a credible election.
We in PDP, with Atiku Abubakar stand to lead. Join us!

God Bless Nigeria. God Bless each and every Nigerian. We shall all work for e a better tomorrow

Signed

Prince Uche Secondus

National chairmen of PDP.