The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has commended lawmakers at the National Assembly for rejecting President Muhammadu Buhari’s nominee and All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Lauretta Onochie, as a national commissioner for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The opposition party described the rejection as the triumph of the Nigerian people over alleged barefaced attempt by the Buhari led-APC administration to corrupt and hijack the commission ahead of 2023 elections.
The PDP argued that Onochie’s rejection by Nigerians has saved the nation from a very serious crisis as well as salvaged INEC and the entire Nigerian electoral process from ruinous pollution that would have led to the collapse of democratic order.
Reacting to the rejection on Tuesday, the PDP Spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, noted that Onochie’s nomination was in total affront to paragraph 14 of the 3rd schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and against the country’s electoral process, in the attempt to subvert the will of the people during the 2023 elections.
According to him, the APC is aware that it will have difficulties winning election at any level in a free, fair and credible election and as such it is determined to rig every process ahead of the 2023 elections.
Ologbondiyan, through a statement made available to journalists, also commended Nigerians including civil society organizations, the media as well as other political parties, for joining forces with the PDP in fighting for the sanctity of electoral process by resisting Onochie’s nomination.
According to him, the stiff resistance displayed by Nigerians across the board, in repelling this vicious attempt to hijack and pollute the electoral commission, underscores their collective and unwavering determination to resist and kick out the APC in 2023, despite its shenanigans.
“The PDP urges Nigerians not to rest on their oars but to continue in this spirit in fighting for our democracy, particularly in further resisting the attempt to alter the Electoral Act to prohibit direct electronic transmission of elections results from polling units.
“It is clear that the APC is pushing for the prohibition of electronic transmission of results because it seeks to use its usual malpractices alteration of figures, switching of results as well as the disappearance of ballot materials while on transit to collation centers to, again, subvert the will of the people and manipulate its hold on power in 2023.
“Our party, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Nigerian people, will use every means available and permissible under our laws to ensure that such provision that seeks to institutionalize and endorse rigging is not allowed to pass. The PDP, therefore, counsels the APC to read the handwriting on the wall and know that Nigerians are ready and waiting to resist them at any turn ahead of the 2023 election,” the statement said.
