The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has warned that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, should be well guided on the stoppage of the collation of results in the Bauchi State governorship election.
“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.
“Our party therefore charges INEC to be properly guided by the law in this regard,” the party said in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
INEC had earlier planned to hold a supplementary election in Bauchi over the governorship election.
It soon reversed the decision and planned to continue with the collation of results, a step that was halted by a court order.
The Governor of Bauchi State, Mohammed Abubakar, got a court injunction stopping INEC from the collation of results pending the determination of the case he had brought.
Abubakar queried the authority of INEC to continue with the collation once it had been declared inconclusive.
INEC had since stopped work following the court order.
But in its reaction, PDP warned that INEC should be well-guided.
According to it, the power to continue with the collation of results resided in INEC.
“Our party should not be constrained into a situation in which we will have no option than to allow our members to seek similar ex parte orders to halt statutory processes including the swearing-in of APC candidates at various levels, particularly President Muhammadu Buhari.
“The party alerts 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.
“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,” the party said.
PDP warned that it 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.”
