The Federal Government has strongly warned against ongoing plans “by
the desperate opposition to truncate the electoral process and render
the February 23 elections inconclusive, in order for them to trigger a
constitutional crisis and push for an interim government”.
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, issued
the warning in a statement in Oro, Kwara State, on Monday.
He said the PDP has started laying the groundwork for a constitutional
crisis by unleashing its talking heads, including Buba Galadima, Osita
Chidoka and Femi Fani-Kayode, on the public space to claim victory
from Saturday’s election, even when INEC has yet to announce the
result – an action that amounts to a clear case of impunity.
Mohammed said by usurping the role of INEC through the
announcement of result, the PDP has violated the Electoral Act and
should face very serious consequences.
”By announcing the result and saying they have won the February 23 election, the PDP is deliberately seeking to confuse the polity and lay the foundation for rejecting the outcome if, when INEC eventually
announces the result, the party does not win.
”This confirms what we said in a series of pre-election press conferences, that the PDP – realising it cannot win a free and fair
election – will do everything possible to scuttle the polls, failing which it will proceed to the next stage, which is to discredit the entire electoral process, including the result, with the ultimate aim
of precipitating a constitutional crisis and pushing for an interim
government,” he said.
The Minister also recalled the alarm raised by the Federal Government
over the PDP’s decision to set up a parallel electoral body, under the
tag of Parallel Voting Tabulation (PVT) System, which the opposition
party described as a
tool that will determine whether or not it accepts the results of the elections.
”We said, then, that while it is standard practice for political
parties to have their own monitoring systems during elections, what is
not standard is to set up a pseudo electoral commission and imbue it
with the power to collate and announce results – as the PDP is now
doing under the guise of PVT. Unfortunately, our warning has proven to
be prescient,” he said.
Mohammed wondered why those who parade themselves as democrats
will show such disdain for the electoral process, which is a key
ingredient of democracy.
He called on the security agencies to nip in the bud the
constitutional crisis that the PDP is working frantically to trigger,
by immediately arresting and prosecuting anyone who announces the
result of last Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections.
