Underage Voters: Mahmood Yakubu-led INEC Cannot Give Nigerians Credible Election In 2019 - PDP Reacts To Underage Voting | CNR

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has passed a vote of no confidence on the Prof. Mahmood Yakubu-led Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC following the commission’s claim that it was coerced into registering underage voters in Kano and Katsina states in the build up to the 2015 general election.

There have been wide condemnations and public outcry since still images and video clips emerged, showing underage children voting at various poling centres in Katsina and Kaduna states during the 2015 general election.

But INEC, through its Director of Publicity and Voter Education, Mr. Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, gave reason for action, claiming that INEC registered minors because its agents were threatened by members of the communities in those states.

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Speaking during press conference at the Party’ headquarters in Abuja Tuesday, National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan said that “Nigerians have completely lost confidence in INEC under Prof. Mahmood Yakubu and we urge him to take the path of honour and do the needful before it becomes too late”.

Mr. Ologbondiyan said: “As you are aware, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been indicted for registering and issuing permanent voters card (PVCs) to millions of underage persons, particularly in Kano and Katsina states respectively.

“You are also aware that it took a press statement from the PDP and concerted outcry by Nigerians before the Prof. Mahmood Yakubu-led commission reluctantly accepted responsibility for this illegality. However, INEC has refused to take decisive steps to restore the sanctity of its register, particularly in Kano and Katsina states, but has rather made a puerile explanation of plans to investigate the allegation.

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“As we speak, the credibility of our electoral process under the current INEC is hugely in doubt. The nation was last Wednesday terrified by the commission’s Director of Publicity and Voter Education, Mr. Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, who announced that INEC registered minors because its agents were threatened by members of the communities in those states.

“By this alarming and unpatriotic statement, INEC under Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has completely discredited and disqualified itself and cannot be trusted to conduct a credible, free and fair general elections in 2019.

The import of this statement is that INEC under Prof. Yakubu is not firm in its acts and will consequently cave in and accept any form of irregularities once it is put under pressure by members of a voting community. It goes to say that this INEC can readily announce false results, cancel elections, alter polling procedures and allow any irregularities during the 2019 general elections once it is threatened by the All Progressives Congress (APC) or any other group for that matter”.

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PDP wondered why INEC who claimed it was pressurized to register underage voters in Kano and Kaduna states went ahead to produce voters card for children and included their names in the voters' register.

“If INEC is afraid of a voting community so much so that after registering minors, it still went ahead to process their data and issue them with valid voters card, then there is no way it can withstand the pressure and threat that we all know will be exerted by desperate APC forces, whose electoral strength, particularly in Kano and Katsina states, is now exposed to be based on underage voters.

“Consequently, the PDP demands an immediate review of voters register, particularly in Kano and Katsina; we demand a revalidating the voters register to eliminate all the minors and insist that no election must hold in these states until the register is sanitized.

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In order to achieve this, we demand that the revalidation/sanitization by INEC must be carried out under the supervision of all political parties, credible associations, reputable NGOs as well as the international community”, the PDP said.