By Abimbola Ogunnaike
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has said the allegation leveled against him by the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) that he rigged the presidential election could lead to a lawsuit.
Yakubu issued a reply to PDP on Friday, 10 March, 2023, after the party asked him to resign.
The opposition charged the police and the Department of State Services (DSS) to investigate the Electoral Chief over alleged manipulation of election results.
A statement by Yakubu’s Press Secretary, Rotimi Oyekanmi said the call was misplaced and challenged the PDP to prove its claims in court.
In the statement obtained by thegazellenews.com, Oyekanmi wondered why the party did not provide evidence to back up “the spurious allegations”.
The spokesperson said the PDP also did not give evidence of how Yakubu sabotaged the uploading and transmission of results from polling units.
Yakubu’s aide maintained that the INEC “does not rig elections”, adding that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, “has ensured the integrity of the electoral process”.
Oyekanmi reminded the PDP that it rejected the outcome of the Saturday, 25 February, 2023, poll and should toe the path of honour by pursuing its case until judgment is delivered.
“Canvassing the same issues the party intends to plead in court on the pages of newspapers and calling for the resignation of the INEC Chairman is like putting the cart before the horse.
“The PDP is hereby reminded that making libelous allegations against the person of the INEC Chairman is actionable,” he added.