Atiku Accuses INEC Chairman Of Working For APC To Undermine Nigeria’s Democracy

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has accused INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, of collaborating with the ruling party APC to undermine Nigeria’s democracy.

A statement from Atiku’s media office on Sunday said Mr Yakubu’s compromise was the reason results were not uploaded to INEC server on the same day the presidential election was held on 25 February.

It was also the same reason that Mr Yakubu continued to announce the results despite protests from political parties, the statement signed by Phrank Shaibu, Atiku’s special assistant on public communication read.

The former vice president was reacting to an allegation by the immediate-past Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, who said Mr Yakubu was recommended for re-appointment by a member of Bola Tinubu’s camp in 2020.

Speaking in Rivers State on Saturday, Mr Amaechi noted that not only did the re-appointment of the INEC chairman come from Tinubu’s camp, but the INEC boss also worked under Governor Nyesom Wike when the Rivers State governor was Minister of State for Education and interim Minister of Education in the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.

“INEC is a complete failure,” Mr Amaechi said. “There are those of us who opposed the reappointment of Yakubu Mahmood. The person who nominated him is a member of Tinubu’s camp. So what are you expecting?

“Here in Rivers State, Mahmood worked under Wike as Executive Secretary of TETFund; so what you are having in Rivers is that APC and other parties are contesting, not against PDP, but against INEC, against police,” the former minister added.

Atiku said Mr Amaechi’s revelation was a confirmation of “our worst fears that Yakubu’s INEC was working for the APC.”

-Premium Times