Fresh trouble as PDP makes strong allegations against INEC's office in Nasarawa

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday, March 28, accused the Nasarawa state's office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of its refusal to obey the court order directing the commission to allow the legal team of the party to inspect the documents used during the Saturday, March 18, governorship elections in the state.

The Party in a statement made available signed by the secretary of the PDP in Nasarawa state, Adamu Ninga, said more disturbing to the party is the alleged threat to destroy the documents used during the elections.

Ninga said that INEC's office in the state has perfected plans to destroy the document to cover up an alleged massive rigging that took place at Gayam and Chiroma wards in Lafia and in Tunga in Awe Local Government Areas of the state.

His words: "The admin secretary Alh Musa Usman Wase reportedly directed that document on the election should be released to our lawyers despite the court order and our official request for the documents.

"The PDP wishes to alert the public that Wase is working to frustrate the PDP Legal team and to tamper with election documents to hide the rigging that took place in Lafia and Awe LGAs.

"PDP calls on the INEC National Chairman to direct the Lafia office to respect the Order of the courts and to immediately release the certified true copies and allow our legal team to inspect the election materials."

Also condemning the alleged "blatant partisanship" of INEC's state office, Ninga said there are threats by the commission to tamper with records of the governorship election in Nasarawa state.

However, speaking on the allegations, Wase said that by the provision of the law, political parties are free to ask for certified true copies of required documents after elections.

Wase noted that the law also stipulates that seven days must be given to the Commission to provide those documents.

He said: "As we speak the PDP submitted their request on Thursday 23rd March and today is Tuesday and by Thursday we will answer their request.

"I spoke with one of the lawyers of the PDP just three to four hours ago, and I assured him that the document will be given to them because it is their right.

"However they are also mandated to comply with the provision of the law because the law mandates them to pay a fee via the Remita system which is not huge money, and when the receipt is brought to us we will give them the documents. As we speak we are working on them."

He maintained that the documents are intact, adding that they are compiling the documents.

Wase added: "There is no way anybody can tamper with the results," he said.

Addressing the allegation of manipulating the results via the IReV portal, he said the INEC portal is not being controlled in the state.