The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) position that the All Progressives Congress (APC) should provide another candidate in replacement for its governorship candidate in Kogi State, Prince Abubakar Audu, who died last Sunday.
The PDP said the implication of the INEC’s decision is that the APC would be fielding two candidates for one election, stressing that it is an attack on democracy and unknown practice in the country’s politics.
Addressing newsmen on Tuesday at the PDP national secretariat, Abuja, the party’s national publicity secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, called for immediate resignation of INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Mallam Abubakar Malami.
The party said Malami should immediately vacate his office for allegedly hurrying and misleading INEC into arriving at what it termed unconstitutional decision of allowing the APC to substitute its candidate in the inconclusive Kogi State governorship election.
The party said it is shocked that INEC, a supposedly independent electoral umpire could allow itself to succumb to the “antics of the APC” by following the “unlawful directive” of the AGF to substitute a candidate in the middle of the ballot process.
“Consequently, the PDP rejects in its entirety, this brazen move by the APC and INEC to circumvent the laws and ambush the yet-to-be concluded election by introducing a practice that is completely alien to the constitution and the electoral act.
“The clear implication of this action of the AGF and INEC is that the APC would be fielding two different governorship candidates in the on-going Kogi election, meaning that INEC would be transferring votes cast for late Prince Abubakar Audu to another candidate, scenarios that have no place in the constitution of the land,” the PDP said.
