A new dimension in election litigations will soon
commence as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday said it will file
legal actions in court against officials of Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) and police for their various roles in the just concluded
governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa States.
According to it, the party said it would also file
legitimate actions against identified INEC and security officials who aided the
APC in the violent rigging of the election.
Specifically, PDP said: "Our party has been made aware of the
roles played by the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, as well as the
Inspector General of Police (IG), Mohammed Adamu, in the governorship elections."
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the party
also yesterday stated that the alleged violent
rigging of the Kogi and Bayelsa State governorship elections by the All
Progressives Congress (APC) cannot stand.
The NWC in a statement by the National Publicity
Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, maintained that there was no way the PDP would
fold its hands and watch the mandates clearly given to its candidates, Musa
Wada in Kogi state and Senator Douye Diri in Bayelsa State, “left in the hands
of repressive usurpers, manipulators and murderers.
"Indeed, the country is still in shock over
the brazen show of violence, where security forces coordinated the invasion of
polling units, shooting and killing of voters and carting away ballot boxes to
government facilities where results were altered and fictitious figures given
to INEC to declare the APC candidates winners.
"Nigerians watched with horror as APC thugs
and security forces traumatised and held voters hostage, murdered our
compatriots, injured and maimed many in violent attacks that involved the
deployment of police helicopters.”
According to the statement, PDP urged the INEC
chairmanship and the security officials to do some introspections on the ‘anguish
they have caused the people with the rigging of the elections,’ promising that
NWC will never hesitate to expose such ignoble roles at the appropriate time.
The party said the irreversible fact remains that
though evil may appear to thrive for a while, truth and justice will always
prevail in the end.
It said:
"The APC and its candidates must bear in mind that what they could
not get through the ballot box, they cannot get it by violence, manipulation
and killing."
The PDP said it remained undeterred in its
determination to use all legitimate means available and allowed within the
democratic practice to confront the ‘usurpers’ and retrieved its mandate in
Kogi and Bayelsa States.
The NWC, therefore, urged all members of the PDP as
well as all Nigerians of good faith to remain strong, united and undeterred as
the NWC commences lawful actions in the pursuit of the ‘people’s mandates’.
"Our party once again mourns our compatriots
killed by the APC in this election, including our Woman Leader in Kogi State,
Acheju Abuh, who was burnt to death by APC thugs at her home on Monday," it
stated
While invoking the wrath of God on the perpetrators
of the gruesome killings, the party called on the police to immediately track
down and bring their killers to book.
PDP said: "Indeed, their death will never be in
vain as the mandates for which they were killed will surely be recovered."
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