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The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar has kicked against alleged plots by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to reintroduce manual collation of results in the 2023 general elections.
Festus Okoye, who is the a national commissioner and INEC spokesperson had granted an interview wherein he stated that manual collation will also be deployed, a statement that has created some rumpus in the public space.
Atiku Abubakar while reacting through his spokesman, Daniel Bwala, Sunday alleged that with such a statement ” INEC is laying the foundation for the rigging of the 2023 elections”.
Writing in his verified Facebook Page, Bwala said, “Section 60 is clear. At the close of voting at the polling unit, the voting results will be uploaded, meaning that by the time the officer from the unit goes to the ward, he cannot present a result different from the one that was uploaded, which every voter can have access to it.
“And the same thing applies to the local government and the state, because there is evidence you have sent it to a server where it cannot be manipulated.
“By what Okoye said it means they are creating the room and possibility for somebody to manipulate the result without prejudice to the counting and the result as announced at the unit.
“And where there is a conflict, that reliance will be placed on the manual collation. In other words, they are trying to go around the provisions of the Electoral Act to take us back to where we are coming from.
“Sadly, they are trying to find a solution where there is no problem because this same electronic upload and transmission has been done in Anambra, Ekiti, in Edo and Osun and they were successful, that procedure has not been challenged.
“If you go to court all the challenge in court were around certificates of individual and whether that individual is qualified or not. But that procedure has worked.
“So why are you trying to fix something that is not broken? It means something is fishy, we smell a coffee. And that’s why we’re calling all well meaning Nigerians and lovers of democracy in Nigeria and beyond to raise their voice and speak with one voice.
“There must be strict compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act with respect to electronic upload and transmission of result, without prejudice to what INEC is thinking about bringing.
“We must never try to change the procedure that has worked in these states mentioned.
“It must be free, it must be transparent. We don’t want litigation. We want the voice and the will of the people to prevail in Nigeria.”