Presidential Poll: PDP Govs, Leaders To Protest At INEC Today

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr Iyorchia Ayu, will on Monday (today) lead some governors elected on the platform of the party on a protest march to the Independent National Electoral Commission headquarters, Abuja, over the outcome of the February 25 presidential election.

The development has, however, sparked apprehension in the Federal Capital Territory as residents feared the march may result in violence following the anger over the conduct and outcome of the polls.

Governors Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Darius Ishaku (Taraba) and Ademola Adeleke of Osun State are expected to participate in the march scheduled to take off by 10am from the PDP headquarters, Legacy House, Maitama, Abuja.

The electoral commission had Wednesday declared the All Progressives Congress standard bearer, Bola Tinubu, the winner of the election after scoring a total of 8, 794, 726 votes, representing 25 per cent of the total votes cast in 30 states.

In separate press conferences, however, the PDP and Labour party rejected the outcome of the election, with both laying claims to victory and vowing to challenge the result in court.

But on Sunday, the PDP, in a memo signed by the Director of Administration on behalf of the Director General of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Tambuwal, invited Ayu, the PDP presidential running mate, Okowa and other governors to the protest march.

Also invited were former Senate Presidents, David Mark and Bukola Saraki, Board of Trustees members, National Executive Committee members, National Working Committee members, Directors, Deputy and Assistant Directors of the National Election Management Committee, Presidential Campaign Council members as well as Persons Living With Disabilities.

It read, “I am directed to respectfully invite your excellencies: The National Chairman, Dr Iyrochia Ayu, The Vice Presidential Candidate and Governor of Delta State, Dr Ifeanyichukwu Okowa, Governors of Akwa Ibom and Chairman of PCC, Mr Udom Emmanuel, Sokoto state and DG of PCC, Rt Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, and Governors of Bayelsa, Edo, Adamawa, Bauchi, Taraba and Osun states;

“Former Senate Presidents, Senator David Mark and Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, BoT members, NEC members, the PDP Senators and House of Representatives Members, NWC members of the party, DDGs, Directors, Deputies and Assistant Directors of NCMC; Members of the PCC; leadership of People Living with Disabilities and all other stakeholders to a protest match to INEC office.’’

Participants are directed to wear black attires in demonstration of the sombre mood of the party.

The PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Ibrahim Abdullahi, in an interview with The PUNCH, explained that the protest was planned to show the party’s disenchantment with the flawed poll, insisting that the election should be cancelled.

“It (the protest) is to register its grievances and disenchantment following the just concluded presidential and National Assembly elections,” he said.

But the APC cautioned the PDP against inciting the people to break the law with its planned street march.

Reacting to the proposed protest, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka, noted that it was unfortunate the PDP had to resort to a public disturbance instead of focusing on the court case it filed to contest the results of Saturday’s presidential election.

NAN