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Press Release: INEC
collaborated with PDP to rig Taraba governorship Election- APC
A.P.C CLAIMS ARCHITECT DARIUS ISHAKU IS THE BENEFICIARY OF A FLAWED POLL
The All Progressive
Congress APC in Taraba State has said elections which took place throughout
the state woefully failed to meet the minimum standard for the conduct of free,
fair and credible elections contrary to the assertion by the Taraba State Government.
The party in a
resolution after its state working committee met to reflect on the conduct of
the last election said the elections were characterized and marred by massive
rigging, non-usage of Card Readers, ballot box stuffing and snatching, outright
allocation of votes, intimidation and physical harassment of APC agents across
the state.
The resolution
signed by Chairman APC Taraba State Barrister Ibrahim Tukur El-Sudi said
elections did not properly take place in some Local Government Areas like,
Wukari, Donga, Takum, Kurmi, Ussa and Zing, where APC agents were physically
molested and chased away, while votes were fictitiously allocated in favour of
PDP and imposed on the INEC Returning Officers, most of whom had already been
threatened and compromised.
He said the PDP had
arrogantly bandied the notion that the Card Readers were not a lawful part of
the election guidelines and therefore had the liberty to fabricate and allocate
votes as they pleased. "Indeed, the Card Reader is not electronic voting
but an indispensable part of the accreditation process without which no voting
could take place. Both the Returning Officer and the Collation Centre ought to
have outrightly rejected all votes not produced through the card reader."
The Party also
expressed disappointment, "at the unfortunate compromise and insidious
collaboration between the PDP and INEC, whereby INEC had mopped up all
unclaimed PVC’s and handed them over to the PDP ahead of the elections.
"In virtually all
the polling units across the state, PDP had in their possession, thousands of
uncollected PVC’s including those of IDP’s and deceased persons, which they
freely used to conduct multiple over-voting, in active support by INEC
officials. PDP were also in possession of ballot papers, which they freely used
in stuffing ballot boxes in some Local Government Areas like, Lau, Bali, and
Sardauna Local Government Areas."
Contrary to the
guidelines issued by INEC that elections results should not be announced or
accepted under duress, Taraba state APC claimed that most results across
the state were collated and received under severe pressure and threats despite
protestations by APC agents that the results were fictitious.
"Almost all the
results accepted and collated at the State Collation office were challenged at
various levels from the units, due to over voting, non-accreditation of voters,
outright manufacturing of results, but the complaints were ignored by the INEC
Returning Officers in all Local Government Areas.
It was an open fact
that even at the State Collation Centre, Jalingo. PDP agents, their thugs and
State Government Officials had threatened that if Governor Darius Ishaku was
not returned as elected, the State INEC Office would be burnt down including
the officials involved in the collation exercise. It was a clear case of
intimidation."
The Party insisted
that the results are therefore not only unacceptable but also cannot form the
basis for the declaration of Architect Darius Ishaku as the elected governor of
Taraba State.
Read full resolution
below:
RESOLUTION OF THE
TARABA STATE APC WORKING COMMITTEE ON THE 2019 GENERAL ELECTIONS IN TARABA
STATE.
On Friday 22nd March
2019, the state working committee met to reflect on the conduct of the General
Elections held in Taraba State on 9th March, 2019. At the end it resolved as
follows.
1. The elections which
took place throughout the state had woefully failed to meet the minimum
standard for the conduct of free, fair and credible elections contrary to the
assertion by the Taraba State Government. The elections were characterized and
marred by massive rigging, non-usage of Card Readers, ballot box stuffing and
snatching, outright allocation of votes, intimidation and physical harassment
of APC agents across the state.
2. In particular,
elections did not properly take place in some Local Government Areas like,
Wukari, Donga, Takum, Kurmi, Ussa and Zing, where APC agents were physically
molested and chased away, while votes were fictitiously allocated in favour of
PDP and imposed on the INEC Returning Officers, most of whom had already been
threatened and compromised.
3. The Party noted
with great disappointment, the unfortunate compromise and insidious collaboration
between the PDP and INEC, whereby INEC had mopped up all unclaimed PVC’s and
handed them over to the PDP ahead of the elections. In virtually all the
polling units across the state, PDP had in their possession, thousands of
uncollected PVC’s including those of IDP’s and deceased persons, which
they freely used to conduct multiple over-voting, in active support by INEC
officials. PDP were also in possession of ballot papers, which they freely used
in stuffing ballot boxes in some Local Government Areas like, Lau, Bali, and
Sardauna Local Government Areas.
4. Contrary to the
guidelines issued by INEC that elections results should not be
announced/accepted under duress or threats, most results across the state were
collated and received under severe pressure and threats despite protestations
by APC agents that the results were fictitious. Almost all the results accepted
and collated at the State Collation office were challenged at various levels
from the units, due to over voting, non-accreditation of voters, outright
manufacturing of results, but the complaints were ignored by the INEC Returning
Officers in all Local Government Areas. It was an open fact that even at the
State Collation Centre, Jalingo. PDP agents, their thugs and State Government Officials
had threatened that if Governor Darius Ishaku was not returned as elected, the
State INEC Office would be burnt down including the officials involved in the
collation exercise. It was a clear case of intimidation.
5. The above
irregularities and many more hereby invalidates all results as announced by the
State INEC Officer as they do not reflect the authentic votes cast during the
elections. Besides, these fictitious results had been illegally prepared and
widely circulated since Sunday March 10, 2019 before the collation centre began
to receive the so called results from various Local Government Areas. The
results are therefore not only unacceptable but also cannot form the basis for
the declaration of Architect Darius Ishaku as the elected governor of Taraba
State.
6. In view of this,
The Taraba State APC hereby declares our total support and agreement with the
decision by our Gubernatorial Candidate, Alhaji Sani Abubakar Danladi to
challenge the results in court so as to retrieve the mandate of our people. We
strongly believe that the fake results announced by INEC were not the true
reflection of the wishes of the people of the state. We wish to assure our
teeming supporters that the authentic results are available with INEC and will
be proven in court. As a Party, we will not relent in our struggle until
justice is done and no amount of intimidation, threat of violence and blackmail
will deter us.
7. The easiest proof
of this paradox is that a State which has witnessed the lowest voter turn-out since
its inception due to the hostile political environment and violent posture of
the State Government has now posted or recorded its highest vote count. For
better understanding, Wukari Local Government Area which had experienced four
years of unresolved communal crisis, with half of Wukari town still lying
desolate and the inhabitants displaced and exiled to Jalingo, Mutum-Biyu, and
Lafia in Nassarawa State, was said to have polled over one hundred and forty
thousand votes, more than thirty percent of the entire Taraba vote. The PDP had
arrogantly bandied the notion that the Card Readers were not a lawful part of
the election guidelines and therefore had the liberty to fabricate and allocate
votes as they pleased. Indeed, the Card Reader is not electronic voting but an
indispensable part of the accreditation process without which no voting could
take place. Both the Returning Officer and the Collation Centre ought to have
outrightly rejected all votes not produced through this process.
8. The APC in Taraba
State is not unaware of the farrago of lies and malicious allegations credited
to the state government regarding the post elections violence which erupted in
Jalingo necessitating the imposition of a curfew in the state capital Jalingo.
It is very important for the public to note that the unfortunate development
was only a tip of what the PDP-led Administration in Taraba State had intended
to unleash on the state if Architect Darius Dickson Ishaku was not declared as
winner of the gubernatorial election.
We were credibly aware
that since Sunday March 10th, 2019, the State Government had moved hardened
criminal political thugs to the State Capital from Wukari, Takum, Donga, Zing
and Lau Local Government Areas to cause a complete breakdown of Law and Order in
the State should INEC refuse to announce results already prepared by the PDP.
As part of the plan several APC leaders had been earmarked for assassination in
order to precipitate a religion uprising. This plan was in furtherance of the
deliberate campaign to hoodwink and brainwash the people to believe that they
had a duty to protect and defend their religious interest in the political
affairs of the State.
9. The Taraba State
Government under Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku is fully aware that it has failed
to deliver on its stewardship to the state as well as owing backlogs of wages
including salaries, pensions and gratuities. To escape the people’s verdict on
this glaring failure, the State Government has chosen to follow the infamous
path of stoking the embers of violence and disunity while still pretending to
demand for ‘peace in exchange for development’.
The political
atmosphere in the state is so poisoned with religious and ethnic sentiments
that virtually every issue is now tragically linked to this divisive volatile
malady.
It could be recalled
that on Friday, 8th March 2019, before the elections, PDP thugs fought and
killed each other over monies collected from Government House, but the fight
later degenerated to a religious conflict, spreading into Mallam Joda,
Sabon-Gari, and Jekadafari areas and claiming innocent lives.
The PDP administration
in Taraba State has been shamelessly funding and patronizing some religious
leaders and organizations and encouraging them to raise spurious and false
alarms against other citizens; as the only basis to perpetrate itself in power.
In fact, the last one
year of the Darius administration could best be described as an ‘annus
horibilis’, as the people have been thrown into a complete state of insecurity
occasioned by political violence, kidnapping and dizzying poverty due to lack
of government activities.
10. The Taraba State
Government which does not believe in Democracy and the rule of Law is now
primitively harassing, intimidating and victimizing workers at the Local
Government and State levels who showed sympathy for APC in the Presidential and
Governorship elections. Curious enough those workers who openly and brazenly
worked for PDP are handled with a pat on the back. What a double standard, what
is good for the goose should be good for the gander. We equally want to let the
Government of Taraba State know that it is not a crime for a public or civil
servant to show his support for any political party of his choice. This matter
has been settled by the Supreme Court of Nigeria in the case of; INEC – Vs –
BALARABE MUSA reported in part 806 NWLR. The vindictive transfer of staff and
withholding of salaries of workers taking place in almost all the Local
Governments of Taraba State should be stopped immediately as this is not only
undemocratic but also, unconstitutional and wicked.
11. It is also a known
fact, that Traditional Rulers all over the State had openly antagonized
citizens within their domain by framing false and fictitious allegations
against them and such persons particularly APC sympathizers were being
apprehended by the police on fictitious charges framed against them and
eventually prosecuted or imprisoned on the instructions of the State
Government. It is curious to note that PDP thugs arrested committing various
offences during and after the elections were also being set free at the
instance of the State Government. A typical example of this brazen lawlessness
and injustice is when Governor Darius advocated amnesty for suspects recently
handed over to the State Police Command by the Military. This confirms our
worst fear that these thugs were recruited by the State Government to unleash
mayhem and grievous hurt on innocent citizens.
12. Finally, APC
sympathizes, commiserates and condoles with the victims of the atrocities
perpetrated by the PDP thugs throughout the State. We appeal to them to be
calm, steadfast and Law abiding. We all need peace in the state for any
meaningful survival and development. As Law abiding citizens and those who
believe in the rule of Law, APC will equally file a case in court to reclaim
our stolen mandate.
Barrister Ibrahim
Tukur El-Sudi
Chairman APC Taraba
State
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