#NigeriaDecides2023: You can’t bully INEC to announce concocted election results, APC campaign tells PDP, LP

The presidential campaign council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned the comments of some opposition parties on the presidential election.

On Saturday, Nigerians voted in the presidential and national assembly elections.

But voting in some polling units in the country was extended to Sunday due to logistic reasons.

In the last 24 hours, the Labour Party (LP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have made some comments regarding the announcement of election results.

Julius Abure, LP national chairman, accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of attempting to manipulate the election results in some polling units by refusing to upload the results on its result viewing portal.

Also, the PDP presidential campaign council asked President Muhammadu Buhari to call Bola Tinubu, APC flagbearer, to order over the alleged publication of fake election results.

Reacting, Festus Keyamo, spokesperson of the APC presidential campaign, in a statement on Sunday, accused the opposition parties of threatening violence if their own version of results were not announced by INEC.

The APC campaign said no political party can bully the electoral umpire to announce its own version of results.

“Some of them have threatened fire and brimstone if their own version of some concocted results are not announced in a bid to be the judge, jury, and executioner in this elections,” the statement reads.

“Similarly, to rile up their supporters against the country, they play up some isolated incidents of violence in our strongholds, whereas we have tons of videos of massive electoral malpractices like violence against non-LP supporters, forcing and guiding women and children to thumb-print ballot papers for LP and massive thumb-printing of ballot papers by both PDP and LP supporters in some parts of the country.

“In addition, in one breath one of the spokespersons of the PDP complained about a certain headline in a newspaper about early results, yet in condemning the newspaper, he also makes unfounded claims about the yet-to-be-released results.

“On our part, we have decided to be calm to await the official announcement of the results and to pursue any grievance (if any) in a lawful manner.

“But we shall not sit back and allow such unguided comments to gain grounds in order to foist a particular narrative on our citizens and the international community.

“Recall that all parties signed the Peace Accord twice before the eyes of the world. Now is the time to abide by the terms of that accord and show love for country over and above personal ambitions.

“We have all campaigned hard and strong. The Nigerian people have listened to all of us and made their decisions.

 “Now is the time to hear the voices of Nigerians as the results are released and not our own voices. The body officially designated to reflect the voices of Nigerians is the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“No Party can bully them by threats to do its own bidding. Neither will the APC be cowed into silence by this disgusting antics of the opposition parties.”