In a statement released by the director-general of PDP Governors’ Forum, Hon. C.I.D. Maduabum, the governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have urged the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmoud Yakub, to mandate the returning officer, Mele Lamido, to immediately conclude the collation and declare the result of the Adamawa State governorship election. The PDP governors also called for the removal of corrupt and partisan INEC officials and a deliberate process of revisiting the appointments of National and Resident Electoral Commissioners to weed out such officials.
The PDP governors, under the leadership of Rt Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, CFR, condemned the attempted electoral heist and brigandage perpetrated by the Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Barrister Hudu Yunusa, during the April 18 supplementary governorship election. They held that the partisan method of appointing INEC officials was responsible for the national disgrace in Adamawa State.
The integrity of INEC personnel is crucial to free, fair, and credible elections as well as the deployment of technology, the PDP governors emphasized. They commended INEC’s immediate steps to nullify the attempted coup and suspend the REC. However, the governors urged that appropriate actions be taken, including swift and appropriate sanctions, such as prosecution of all those involved, especially the former REC, Barrister Hudu Yunusa, to serve as a deterrent to others.
The PDP governors called on all Nigerians to be vigilant as they brace up to emerging threats to democracy and the struggle for good governance in Nigeria. The swift prosecution of those involved in the Adamawa State governorship election saga will serve as an example to others and restore confidence in the electoral process, the PDP governors said.
To ensure free and fair elections, the PDP governors urged INEC to remove corrupt and partisan officials and revisit the appointments of National and Resident Electoral Commissioners. They also called for the swift conclusion of collation and declaration of results by the appropriate returning officer, Mele Lamido, in the Adamawa State governorship election.
The PDP governors emphasized the importance of INEC personnel’s integrity to the electoral process and called for appropriate sanctions for corrupt and partisan officials. They also urged all Nigerians to be vigilant in the struggle for good governance in Nigeria