The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is allegedly under pressure from Governors Aminu Bello Masari, Nasir el-Rufai, Abdullahi Ganduje, and Bello Matawalle of Katsina, Kaduna, Kano, and Zamfara States to change the results of the February 25, 2023 Presidential elections in favour of the All Progressives Congress, according to reports in the public domain (APC).
In a statement released by the PDP on Monday, the APC governors were accused of applying pressure and blackmail to INEC officials in an effort to rig the election and transfer large numbers of votes legitimately cast for Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s presidential candidate, to the APC’s rejected Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The statement is as follows: “Our Party has been informed that this nefarious scheme by the APC governors is responsible for the stalling of collation of election results in Katsina, Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara and other APC States where the Presidential Candidate of the APC is alleged to have released over N11 billion per State to rig the election in his favour.
“This, our Party has been made aware, is responsible for the unexplained delay in the transmission of election results from the said States to INEC Server in Abuja and the commencement of formal announcement of results by the INEC Chairman.
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“There are reports that the situation is heightening apprehensions and is capable of triggering a breakdown of Law and Order in these States if not immediately addressed and election results as cast at the Polling Units are transparently collated and transmitted to INEC Headquarters in Abuja.
“The PDP in the strongest terms demands that the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu cautions the Commission’s officers in Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and Zamfara States not to tamper with the results of the election as cast at the Polling Units. The INEC Chairman should also direct the immediate transmission of the results to INEC Server.