From: Ishola Michael, Bauchi
Members of the Bauchi State chapter of Atiku/Okowa Campaign Organization on Thursday embarked on a peaceful protest against the presidential election results declared by INEC which showed that, presidential candidate of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar lost the election.
They also challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to come clean from allegation of bias and condoning electoral irregularities levelled against it.
The challenge was thrown on INEC by the Secretary of the Organisation, Hon Sabiru Murtala, who led a group to speak with Journalists on Thursday.
He said that, “These people you are seeing here are members of the various Atiku support groups in Bauchi state who supported the presidential candidate of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP).
According to him,”They came to us seeking for our permission to enable them go to the streets in order to protest the perceived injustice meted on our principal, Atiku Abubakar by INEC. We told them not to do that but to select representatives from among them who we can meet briefly with.”
He added that, “Atiku Abubakar has warned us against any protest because of the outcome of the elections, that is the reason we have not done any protest action across the country. We are pained by what was done to us by INEC and the authorities, they promised to work with the provision of the electoral act as amended but they reneged in the promise.”
Also speaking, leader of another group, Atiku Haske, Comrade Mohammed A. Sale said that the result that was given to INEC by the PDP agents during the election was not what was published and released by INEC.
According to him,”We want the world to know that the PDP was shortchanged, the President, Muhammadu Buhari, INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmud Yakubu and others should know what happened.”
According to him, “We know our strength here in Bauchi State, the result announced by INEC was not correct, we want peace, INEC should do the needful.”
Mohammed Saleh stressed that, “We are not satisfied with the result declared by INEC because what the PDP polled was not what was released, it was someone’s results that were released.”
He stressed that, “We believe in free, fair and credible election, as law abiding citizens, we will not take the laws into our hands but we want INEC to know that what it did was wrong and it can plunge the country into chaos.”
According to him, “INEC should correct the problems noted in the last election so that it will not be repeated in the next election which are for the Governors and state assembly members.”
