INEC now a parastatal of APC — PDP …it's not true, says electoral commission

Following the epileptic release of the results of the last National Assembly and State House of Assembly re-run in Rivers State by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the electoral body of becoming an arm of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Speaking to newsmen in Abuja, on Wednesday, the deputy national chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, decried the selective release of the results of the March 19 elections.

INEC had initially released nine state constituency and one federal constituency results before suspending the collation exercise after its conduct, citing security reasons.

On Tuesday, it again announced the result of three federal constituencies and two state constituencies.

Secondus alleged that INEC has refused to release the results of the exercise in full because it was taking instructions from APC, which he said, lost the elections overwhelmingly to PDP.

Listing the conduct of Kogi, Bayelsa and Rivers states, he observed that all the elections conducted by INEC under the current administration and the new chairman, Professor Mahmoud Yaquub, have been inconclusive.

The former acting national chairman of PDP stated: 'Now in Rivers, because PDP won all the elections, despite intimidation by the military, the results are being released piecemeal because APC has failed woefully in all the constituencies.'

He further alleged that the commission has not fixed a date for fresh election because it was waiting for instruction from APC, saying: 'They haven't fixed a date for rerun because of APC. INEC is now being supervised by the leadership of APC and the Buhari -led administration.

'They are no longer independent and we are losing confidence in INEC.

'In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), election date was announced but suddenly, because they knew APC was going to lose and because of that, they postponed the election after we had spent money and time.

'All these show that INEC is now a parastatal of APC. The danger is that this current leadership that will conduct the general election in 2019 has been compromised.

In his reaction, INEC deputy director of Publicity and Voters' Education, Nick Dazang, explained that the piecemeal release of the results was justifiable.

'The commission is not under the influence or direction of any party or interests,' he said.- Tribune.