Following claims by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that it doesn't have a central server, over sixty (60) presidential candidates in the 2019 general elections have faulted the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar over their insistence on the use of a server. The candidates described the debate as unnecessary.
Speaking at a press conference, Alhaji Mohammed Shittu, National Chairmen of the Joint Forum of 60 Presidential Candidates, said the Independent National Electoral Commission did creditably well.
Quoting from his words, “We reiterate that the INEC server controversy is unnecessary.
It is a plot to discredit the election as political parties never agreed with INEC in any of the several pre-election meetings that results will be transmitted electronically.
He noted that political parties agreed on a lot of issues with the commission and they were implemented.
Shittu asserted that it is however worrisome that only one political party out of 91 is saying a different thing on the presidential election while at the same time praising its performance on the other elections, especially governorship, conducted by the same electoral umpire.
In another development, chairman of the West African Coalition of Political Parties, Chief Perry Opara also criticized the report of the European Union Election Observer Mission which alleged lack of transparency in the guidelines of election.
He stressed that INEC consulted widely and extensively, and together with stakeholders, came up with the guidelines for the conduct of the 2019 general elections, which the commission followed to the letter.
Opara adverted that nine out of the eleven points for consideration they raised as candidates under the auspices of the Inter-Party Advisory Council and Coalition of United Political Parties respectively, were adopted by the Commission.
Opara then questioned how can the EU-EOM accuse the commission of lack of transparency in putting up guidelines for the elections?
Going forward, he urged President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately sign the Electoral Act Amendment into law, opining that the amendment would hugely improve the nation's electoral system and its processes.
