…as PDP, LP and ADC cry foul
The flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu is in the lead in Nigeria’s keenly contested presidential election with official results coming in from 32 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
According to results presented by state collation officers for the presidential election (SCOPs) before the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mahmood Yakubu, at the National Collation Centre in Abuja, Tinubu polled 8,120,391 from 32 states and the FCT.
Tinubu was followed by Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 6,486,000 from the 32 states and the FCT.
The Labour Party’s flag bearer, Peter Obi followed closely with 5,406,931 votes from the 32 states and the FCT while Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), has 1,478,985 votes.
The four remaining states are expected to be presented by SCOPs at the national collation centre by 11pm on Tuesday, according to the INEC chairman.
Meanwhile, three contesting parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Labour Party (LP) and African Democratic Congress (ADC) have demanded a fresh election, saying the February 25 presidential election has been “irretrievably compromised”.
LP National Chairman, Julius Abure; the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu; as well as their ADC counterpart, Ralph Nwosu, stated their position at a joint press conference in Abuja on Tuesday.
They alleged that Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections were manipulated by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at polling units by their failure to upload results electronically on the commission’s Results Viewing Portal (IReV).
Earlier Tuesday, the vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ifeanyi Okowa; and his Labour Party (LP) counterpart, Datti Baba-Ahmed had unanimously called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections.
Okowa and Baba-Ahmed stated this at a joint briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, Channels News reports.
Okowa, who is also the governor of Delta State, said “it is clearly stated in that Electoral Act that all election results must be transmitted at the polling unit level” and that it is only the results electronically transmitted from the polling units that can be collated at the centre.
“If you have not transmitted those results, it means that you have actually not conducted elections under the very law that we all applauded.
“So, the right thing for the INEC chairman to do is to cancel the elections,” the PDP vice-presidential candidate stated.
