The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has charged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to save Nigeria from a serious crisis by asserting its independence in concluding the collation process in Rivers State.
PDP also wants the electoral agency to respect the will of the people, as expressed at the polls on March 9, by declaring Governor Nyesom Wike as the rightful winner of the election without further delay.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, who made this known in a statement said the party is accusing the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami SAN, of involving in alleged plots to scuttle the collation of the results of Rivers governorship election by INEC.
According to Ologbondiyan, ‘’PDP is cautioning Malami to restrain himself from being used to commit unconstitutional acts in the collation of results already scheduled to begin in the state on Tuesday.’’
Continuing, the party said, ‘’Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has been boastfully claiming that the AGF was working on a script whereupon he will write to the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to direct him to stop the collation of results.
‘’Our party urges the AGF to note that there is no provision of the 1999 Constitution (as Amended) or any part of the Electoral Act 2010 (as Amended) that, in anyway, empowers the AGF to interfere or stop the process of election, until declaration of result is made.
‘’It is imperative for the AGF to note that Rotimi Amaechi, in his desperation, will want to rope him in and use him to cause a constitutional crisis that has the capacity to derail our democracy.
The constitution and laws of our nation are clear on the powers and statutory functions of the Attorney General and that he has no powers to interfere in the conduct of elections or direct the stoppage of an electoral process.
‘’The AGF should therefore distance himself from the ignoble scheme by Rotimi Amaechi to cause trouble in Rivers state by attempting to scuttle the collation of results in the Rivers governorship election, which has been clearly won by the PDP and Governor Nyesom Wike.’’
