Nasarawa Polls: PDP, INEC Disagree Over Alleged Disobedience To Court Order

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Nasarawa State Office has refused to obey the court order directing the Commission to allow the legal team of the party to inspect the documents used during the 18 March 2023 governorship election in the state.

In a statement made available to LEADERSHIP yesterday signed by the secretary, PDP, Nasarawa State, Adamu Bako Ninga said more disturbing to the party is the alleged threat to destroy the documents used during the elections.

Ninga alleged that the Commission office in the state plans to destroy the document to cover up the alleged massive rigging that took place at Gayam and Chiroma wards in Lafia and in Tunga in Awe LGAs.

The statement reads in part, “The admin secretary Alh Musa Usman Wase reportedly directed that no document on the election should be released to our lawyers despite the the court order and our official request for the documents.

“The PDP wishes to alert the public that Wase is working to frustrate the PDP Legal team and to tamper with election documents to hide the rigging that took place in Lafia and Awe LGAs.

“PDP calls on the INEC National Chairman to direct the Lafia office to respect the Order of the courts and to immediately release the certified true copies and allow our legal team to inspect the election materials.”

He, however, condemned the blatant partisanship of the State Office and the alleged threat to tamper with records of the Governorship election in Nasarawa state.

When contacted, Wase in a chat with LEADERSHIP said that by the provision of the law political parties are free to ask for a certified true copy after elections.

He said the law also stipulates that seven days must be given to the Commission to provide those documents. 

“As we speak the PDP submitted their request on Thursday 23rd March and today is Tuesday and by Thursday we will answer their request.

“I spoke with one of the lawyers of the PDP just three to four hours ago, and I assured him that the document will be given to them because it is their right.

“However they are also mandated to comply with the provision of the law because the law mandates them to pay a fee via the Remita system which is not huge money, and when the receipt is brought to us we will give them the documents. As we speak we are working on them.”

He maintained that the documents are intact, adding that they are compiling the documents.

“There is no way anybody can tamper with the results,” he said.

On the allegation of manipulating the results via the IReV portal, he said the INEC portal is not being controlled in the state.