PDP Rejects Exparte Order Stopping Bauchi Guber Results Collation

•Warns its member may also seek retaliatory court orders

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has vehemently rejected what
it says is the arm-twisting of the judiciary and the court by the
All Progressives Congress (APC) to unconstitutionally halt the
conclusion of collation of already declared results in the Bauchi
State Governorship election, “which has been won by the PDP.”

In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday by Kola Ologbondiyan
National Publicity Secretary and Director, Media & Publicity
PDP Presidential Campaign Organization, the party maintained that
such development, “which is akin to the infamous order that
derailed the 1993 democratic process, is part of the plot by the
APC and certain compromised elements in the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) to escalate crisis and derail our
electoral process.”

It added: “The power to collate, suspend collation and or to
reverse such decision based on obvious circumstances as the case in
Bauchi is clearly within the domain of INEC. Until Collation is
completed and results declared no one can question the
constitutional powers of the electoral body: INEC, in that
regard.”

The PDP cautioned: “If this desperate underhand measure by the
APC to halt electoral processes is not checked, our hard earned
democracy will fail us and our nation thrown into anarchy.

“Our party should not be constrained into a situation in which
we will have no option than to allow our members to seek similar
exparte orders to halt statutory processes including the
swearing-in of APC candidates at various levels, particularly
President Muhammadu Buhari.

“It is clear that collation of result is part of the electoral
process and that INEC cannot act on a purported exparte order to
jettison its independence and halt the collation of results, which
is a key component of its statutory electoral duty.

“Section 87 (10) of the Electoral Act is unambiguous in its
prescription that “nothing in this section shall empower the courts
to stop the holding of primaries or general election or the
processes thereof under this Act pending the determination of a
suit”.

“Our party therefore charges INEC to be properly guided by the
law in this regard.”

The PDP urged the institution of Judiciary not to allow the APC
to entangle the court in its shenanigans to destroy our hard-earned
democracy.

“Nigerians in Bauchi state have elected the PDP and nothing can
change this reality,” it stated.