People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar called the promise of a free and credible Saturday gubernatorial poll made by Professor Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), medicine after death.
Atiku spoke through Special Assistant for Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu in Abuja yesterday.
Mr Shaibu said the INEC chairman pledge to ensure strict use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in his meeting with the Resident Electoral Commissioners.
He quoted Yakubu to have said;
“All staff found to be negligent, whether they are regular or ad-hoc officials, including collation and returning officers, must not be involved in the forthcoming elections.
“RECs must also immediately initiate disciplinary action where prima facie evidence of wrong-doing has been established,” the INEC boss stated on Saturday.”
Shaibu further described Yakubu’s assurances as “worthless and unconvincing”.
He added that the INEC chairman was only trying to save face after conducting the worst elections Nigeria had ever witnessed since independence.
He asked Yakubu not to try to deceive Nigerians again after the shambolic performance of INEC in the February 25 poll.
The Atiku aide also commended the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, for admitting that the elections were far below the expectations of Nigerians.
He stated;
“The INEC chairman is nothing but a hypocrite. After promising to upload the results from polling units in real time, he allowed himself to be used, or he used himself in subverting the will of Nigerians, while the full results were still not on INEC’s portal.
“It will shock you to note that seven days since the election ended, the full results have still not been uploaded on INEC’s result viewing portal.
“The election was so bad that it failed to meet the expectations of Nigerians as restated by several foreign media outlets and observers as well as Ambassador Mary Beth Leonard of the US. Rather than apologise, the INEC chairman is trying to shift the blame.
“After INEC’s abysmal performance at the scam election of February 25, he is now trying to save face, insisting that errant staff would be punished and would not be deployed in the March 11 governorship poll. This is arrant nonsense.
cc: Vanguard Ng
