Challenge Presidential Election Outcome ln Court, Rep Urges Atiku

A member of the House of Representatives, Hon Farah Dagogo, has called on the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to challenge the results of the just-concluded presidential election in court.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had in the early hours of yesterday declared Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), as the winner of the presidential election.

Dagogo, who represents Degema/Bonny federal constituency, in a statement made available to LEADERSHIP in Port Harcourt yesterday, described the results of the election as “a sham and charade”.

He stated that if the outcome of the presidential election is allowed to stand, it would thwart the resolve of majority of Nigerians and set a bad precedence.

The House of Representatives member maintained that Atiku won the election convincingly in the field but his victory was upturned in the boardroom.

Dagogo however faulted the outcome, insisting that the election was not transparent and credible but rather fraught with irregularities and ranks as one of the worst in the history of elections in the country.

He said there was deliberate disregard, for section 64 (4 and 6) of the electoral act in the collation of results, adding that it aided towards fraudulently subverting the will and votes of the majority.

The lawmaker said, “For the first time in a long while, Nigerians came out in their numbers, determined to vote and have a say on who will lead them out of the abyss and storm they had weathered for almost eight years.

“Regrettably, a few minority has succeeded in altering the will and determination of the majority with unrestrained impunity. This election, if it could even be termed so, should rank as the worst in the history of elections in the country.

“This election lacks transparency and credibility. It was a sham and charade, which if allowed to stand, would have thwarted the resolve of majority of Nigerians and set a bad precedent. I will advise and strongly urge my party, the PDP, and our Presidential Candidate, the Wazirin Adamawa, Atiku Abubakar to challenge the outcome in court.

“Atiku has the support of majority of Nigerians who voted for him and those votes ensured he won convincingly. By so doing, Atiku and the PDP will not only be on the front path of salvaging the progression of the country but also reclaim Atiku’s victory that was unfortunately upturned in the boardroom.

“I am of the conviction that the Temple of Justice will listen to the cries of Nigerians, who are seriously disenchanted and rightly livid, by using its gavel to administer justice thereby erasing this sad episode from our history.

“For instance, Section 64 (4) of the Electoral Act states that ‘a collation officer or returning officer at an election shall collate and announce the result of an election, subject to his or her verification and confirmation that the number of accredited voters stated on the collated result are correct and consistent with the number of accredited voters recorded and transmitted directly from polling units and that the votes stated on the collated result are correct and consistent with the votes or results recorded and transmitted directly from polling units.

“Furthermore Section 64(6) states that ‘where during collation of results, there is a dispute regarding a collated result or the result of an election from any polling unit, the collation officer or returning officer shall use the following to determine the correctness of the disputed result – the original of the disputed collated result for each polling unit where the election is disputed; the smart card reader or other technology device used for accreditation of voters in each polling unit where the election is disputed for the purpose of obtaining accreditation data directly from the smart card reader or technology device; data of accreditation recorded and transmitted directly from each polling unit where the election is disputed and; the votes and result of the election recorded and transmitted directly from each polling unit where the election is disputed.’

“Those key sections were not adhered to and majority of Nigerians agreed that this malfeasance in no small means subverted the will of the majority.”