Electronic Transmission: PDP says APC in hast to truncate democracy

Admin l Friday, July 16, 2021

 

ABUJA, Nigeria – The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and indeed majority of Nigerians are shocked over the decision of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Senate to undermine our electoral process by refusing to approve the demand by Nigerians across board for electronic transmission of election results without conditionalities., the PDP has said.

Recall that a total of 52 APC senators voted against electronic  transmission of election results  while the House of Representatives affirmed the action of the senate.

In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbodiyan, the party said the action of the APC senators is an atrocious assault on the sensibilities of Nigerians, who looked up to the Senate for improvement in our electoral process in a manner that will engender free, fair and credible process.

“It is outrageous that the APC and its Senators, in their desperate bid to annex the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) seek to route a statutorily independent commission to the approval of an individual masquerading in the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC); an agency under executive control in addition to an extra endorsement of the legislature, before conducting elections”, the PDP said.

This action of the APC senators, the PDP said  is a direct affront, novel in its recklessness and a defilement of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which clearly conferred operational independence to INEC to conduct elections, free from interferences and regulations from any other agency of government.

“The decision of the APC Senators therefore amounts to a suspension of the 1999 constitution (as amended) which is a recipe for crisis that could derail our democracy and destabilize our nation. It is, to say the least, a preparation for mass rigging of elections across Nigeria by the APC, which must be firmly resisted.

“Our party, standing with Nigerians, however commends the PDP senators as well as other democratically minded senators in the chamber for their resilience in voting for unconditional electronic transmission of results, in line with the wishes and aspiration of Nigerians for free, fair, clean and credible election”, the PDP said.