Kwankwaso’s NNPP aligns with LP, PDP on call for results cancellation

This comes after a coalition of three political parties including the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party, and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) jointly held a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, where they passed a vote of no confidence on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu.

Towing the same line, the National Chairman of the NNPP, Prof. Rufai Alkali alleged that the incidents witnessed during the election showed INEC has taken the country back to the pre-2015 era, where ballot box snatching, violence, and voting buying and security agencies supporting the ruling party was prevalent.

He therefore urged the commission to terminate the ongoing exercise and organise a fresh one.

Alkali said these during a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, as he also accused President Muhammadu Buhari and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) of violating the Electoral Act by campaigning on election day through the display of the party they voted for.

The NNPP also alleged that INEC disenfranchised its members by printing a blurry logo of the party on ballot papers.

Alkali’s words: “INEC used the most blurred image of our logo in the ballot paper that did not reflect the symbol of our party. Many of our party supporters could not identify the logo. They not only confused our supporters but disenfranchised them.

“On election day, President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister for Justice, Abubakar Malami were seen showing Nigerians which party they should vote for.

“Campaign on election day amounts to causing a crisis since the Electoral Act says the ballot is secret. Campaign on election day is illegal based on the Electoral Act.

“This illegality done by the President and the Minister of Justice on election day speaks volumes. The election results being announced by INEC should be canceled.”

Speaking further, Alkali claimed that the current cash crunch, occasioned by the new naira swap policy, did little to prevent vote buying, as according to him, people were seen sharing money and raw food in every electoral ward in the country to induce voters.

Alkali added: “In the majority of the polling units, BVAS failed and some did not work and people were not allowed to vote. In most places, ballot boxes were stuffed with ballot papers.

“Where BVAS worked, there were attempts to change the results of the election,” Alkali said, adding that political parties were told that elections would be transmitted electronically.

“We were told election results will be transmitted electronically, but the ruling party and their candidate rejected it and INEC refused to upload the results in most of the polling units and election results were intercepted and changed.

“To save our democracy and our country, the present election results must not be accepted by Nigerians and by all friends of Nigeria.

“We are therefore calling on the immediate suspension of the announcement of results and the cancellation of the 2023 presidential election across the country. New elections should be conducted as soon as possible. The results of the election were changed on transit which is why the new electoral act seeks to avoid.”