News Editor
From Abel Leonard, Lafia
The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the just concluded elections in Nasarawa State, Rt. Hon. Dr. David Emmanuel Ombugadu, has petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over alleged electoral malpractice and manipulation of results.
In a letter signed by his counsel, Michael Jonathan Numa SAN, and addressed to the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Ombugadu stated that there were irregularities in the results collation process which favoured the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The petition highlighted several cases of over-voting, cancellation of results, and inflation of figures in favour of the APC candidate. It also alleged that the Returning Officer and Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) failed to take action despite complaints from PDP agents.
According to the petition, “Elections are won and lost at the polling units and the returning officer lacks the vires to discountenance the polling units results at Local Government Collation level with or without FORM EC40(G) or cancellation report from the presiding officers.”
The PDP candidate called on the INEC Chairman to review the decision of the collation and returning officers in favour of the APC and its candidate. He also urged the commission to re-collate the entire affected polling units result or, in the alternative, recount the ballot papers to arrive at the correct decision.
The petition requested that the INEC Chairman use his good office to review and reverse the decision of the Returning Officer within seven days, in line with the law.
The INEC is yet to respond to the petition at the time of filing this report.
