The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 25 elections, Atiku Abubakar, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of deducting his votes to facilitate the victory of the president-elect, Bola Tinubu.
Atiku also accused INEC of “allocating” votes to the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who was declared the winner of the election, Premium Times reported….. Continue Reading
The former vice president’s accusations were contained in a petition filed on Tuesday, March 21, at the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja.
Legit.ng gathers that Atiku and the PDP jointly sued INEC, Mr Tinubu and APC as co-petitioners.
INEC manipulated BVAS, Atiku claims
Atiku in his petition further alleged that the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) machines that were meant to upload election data and transmit election results in real-time to the electronic collation system and IReV portal, were manipulated by INEC.
He claimed that INEC manipulated the machines to intercept the results and filter them before releasing same to the IReV portal.
The former vice president said INEC’s attribution of its failure to electronically transmit results from polling units to the election collation system to “glitches” was untenable.
Contrary to INEC’s claim, he argued that “there was no failure of ‘server,’ as the server was cloud-based and virtual.”
Atiku further said INEC did not comply with its own rules and guidelines for the conduct of the presidential election just as he argued that there was substantial non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act and the Nigerian constitution.
How I will prove the accusations in court, Atiku reveals
In the petition filed by Atiku’s legal team led by Joe-Kyari Gadzama, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Atiku and the PDP vowed to “lead oral and documentary evidence” at the court to prove their case.
Atiku through his lawyers said he will prove his case by providing expert evidence to show that INEC’s claim is untenable.
Two companies to testify in court
Meanwhile, Atiku said he would subpoena a South African company, Kaspersky Endpoint Security, to provide expert witnesses in the deployment of technology for the conduct of the presidential election.
Legit.ng gathers that Kaspersky Endpoint Security provided system security for the BVAS machines and electronic transmission system deployed by INEC during the polls.
Atiku also said he would subpoena Nigeria’s telecommunications giant, Globacom Nigeria Limited, the company that provided internet for the system deployed by INEC during the election.
The PDP presidential candidate in his prayers wants the court to either declare him Nigeria’s president or order a fresh poll in which Tinubu would be excluded from participating.
Nigerians react
Eze Eze commented on Facebook:
“From what INEC posted on its website as my polling unit result, it shows overvoting different from what we counted.”
Kayode Oluwafemi said:
“INEC deducted Obi’s vote, deducted Atiku’s vote, who come be the real winner self? Wahala for supreme court justices.”
David Okunlola said:
“Oga na lié! You think say all the factions like G5, NNPP & LP. that came out from PDP will not affect you? E ti lulè sir.”
Engr Ibrahim Khalil said:
“I don’t understand you guys, between you and your former Boy (Obi) Who really won it?”
Tinubu has reversed gains made in Nigeria’s democracy, says Atiku
Meanwhile, Atiku had earlier declared that under a Tinubu presidency, Nigeria would be reminiscent of Germany under Adolph Hitler, where Jews were targeted and rights to vote and speak were suppressed.
The former vice president stated that the governorship election in Lagos, where thugs allegedly asked those not planning to vote for the APC to return home, was just a tip of what to expect under a Tinubu administration.
He added that it was even more disheartening that the thugs were profiling voters and beating up those who were of Igbo extraction……
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