The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of colluding with governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to rig the 2019 general elections.
While addressing a political rally in Osogbo, Osun State capital, on Tuesday, January 15, 2019, the former vice president said the electoral umpire has been giving uncollected permanent voter’s cards (PVC) to APC governors to enable them rig the elections.
“So if a voter comes to your polling booths and you don’t know him, don’t allow him to vote because they want to steal your votes,” he warned.
The presidential candidate further warned Nigerians not to re-elect President Muhammadu Buhari whom he said has failed all his promises and made the country worse during his first term.
He said, “This government came and said they were going to give you jobs. Have they given you the jobs? They said they were going to grow the economy. Have they grown the economy? We are in recession. In fact, we are the headquarters of poverty in the whole world. That is where they took us to.
“They said they were going to secure our country, instead of securing our country, we have insecurity in three to four zones of the country. Have they delivered on all these three? Why should you then vote for them?”
He further reiterated his promise to restructure the country if he’s elected president and vowed to dedicate 40% of his government to youths and 30% to women. “Mark my words, I am not Buhari,” he said.
Even though the February 16 presidential election is expected to be keenly-contested between Atiku and Buhari, they face competition from other candidates including Kingsley Moghalu of the Young Progressive Party (YPP), Obiageli Ezekwesili of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Fela Durotoye of the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN), and Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress (AAC).
Others are Tope Fasua of the Abundance Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP), Eunice Atuejide of the National Interest Party (NIP), Adesina Fagbenro-Byron of the Kowa Party (KP), Chike Ukaegbu of the Advanced Allied Party (AAP), Hamza Al-Mustapha of the People’s Party of Nigeria (PPN), Obadiah Mailafia of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and many more.
79 candidates will contest in the election, the highest number ever in Nigeria’s electoral history.
