Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, has called the just concluded presidential election a grand theft o
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, has called the just concluded presidential election a grand theft of the will of Nigerians. Atiku Abubakar, who spoke during a World Press Conference at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, on Wednesday, noted that democracy was a government of the people by the people only when the people’s choice prevailed.
“Unfortunately, that did not happen on Saturday, February 23, 2019. On election day, we saw the implementation of grand theft of the people’s will. In Akwa Ibom, for instance, the results showed a statistical impossibility of a 62 per cent drop in voter numbers from the 2015 elections, even where voter registration and PVC collection rates were much higher than in 2015. This is where voter suppression took place. Our party made these observations and complaints before the elections that there were plans to implement voter suppression on PDP or opposition strongholds and voter increase in APC strongholds.”
He also said while this was the case in Akwa Ibom, a PDP stronghold. “This pattern was repeated in strongholds of PDP including in states like Delta, Rivers, Abia and Benue States. As this was occurring, we saw another statistical impossibility where the real numbers tallied in numbers increased astronomically in Borno State by an almost miraculous 82 per cent in the midst of insecurity. This pattern was also repeated in other strongholds of the APC states. One begins to ask if insecurity is conducive to higher voter turnout and security is antithetical to high voter turnout..
Continuing, he said that it was curious that the PDP’s margin of victory in states outside the South/East and South/South were extremely slim across board, describing it again as a statistical impossibility. He said that the figures declared by INEC as results of Feb. 23 elections do not add up at all.
“The electoral fraud cannot produce a government of the people for the simple reason that it does not reflect the will of the people. It is for this reason what I reject the result of the election as announced by INEC.”
“For my fellow Nigerians who feel angry, disillusion and let down by the process, I appeal to you to remain calm and steadfast, Rome was not built-in a day. As I have always said, this year makes it my third decade in Nigeria’s struggle for democracy, and this is the worst election in those 30 years. I told Gen. Abdsulsalami Abubakar two nights ago when he called me that not even the military conducted such a worst election. This is a long journey but I am confident of victory. All hope is not lost, stay strong. By the grace of God we shall triumph.
“It is for this reason that I Atiku Abubakar reject the result declared by the INEC which declared Muhammadu Buhari as duly returned by the majority of the lawful votes. I am conferring with not just my party but also Nigerians on the next step which will be revealed to the public shortly,’’ he said.
