This is the worst election in Nigeria’s history: Atiku

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the February 23 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, on Wednesday said he was hopeful of reclaiming his ‘stolen’ mandate at the court.

The former vice president  vowed to challenge the outcome of the election which he described as “worst” in Nigeria’s democratic history.

Atiku,  who spoke at a world press conference in Abuja, said the result of the election announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission did not reflect the wishes of Nigerians and the votes of the electorate.

The Independent National Electoral Commission had in the early hours of Wednesday declared President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the February 23, 2019 presidential election with  over three million votes more than the figure ascribed to Atiku.

 Atiku said the election witnessed an  “implementation of grant theft of the people’s will”even as  voter suppression took place in Akwa Ibom which, according to him, recorded 62 percent decrease in number of votes cast when compared to 2015.

He wondered why   this was the case in Akwa Ibom, a PDP stronghold, while Borno state recorded 82 percent increase in votes cast despite the insecurity in the state.

He said, “On election day, we saw the implementation of grand theft of the people’s will. I am not one for hyperbole, so I will just let the facts speak for themselves.

“In Akwa Ibom State for instance, the result showed a statistical impossibility of a 62 per cent drop in voter numbers from the 2015 election even where voter registration and permanent voter cards collection rate were much higher in 2015. This is why voter suppression took place.

“You must recall, our party made this observation and complaint before the elections, that there were plans to implement voter suppression on the PDP or opposition’s strongholds and voter increase in the All Progressives Congress’ strongholds. This pattern was repeated in strongholds of the PDP including states like Delta, Rivers, Abia and Benue.

“As this was occurring, we saw another statistical impossibility where the real numbers did not tally but increased astronomically in Borno State by an almost miraculous 82 per cent in the midst of insecurity.

“This pattern was also repeated in other strongholds of the APC states.

One begins to ask if insecurity is conducive to higher voter turnout and security is antithetical to high voter turnout. It is further curious that the PDP’s margin of victory in states outside the South-East and South-South was extremely slim across the board. That again is a statistical impossibility.

“The fact is that when you calmly look at the numbers declared by INEC as results of the February 23, 2019 elections, they do not add up at all.

Let me say that I am not speaking as a member of the PDP, I am speaking as a Nigerian when I said the electoral fraud perpetuated by the Buhari administration this past Saturday cannot produce a government of the people for the simple reason that it does not reflect the will of the Nigerian people.

“My dear Nigerians, it is for this reason that I, Atiku Abubakar, reject the result declared by INEC which declared Muhammadu Buhari as duly returned by the majority of the lawful votes. I am conferring with not just my party but also the Nigerian people on the next step which will be revealed to the public shortly.”

Atiku appealed to the disillusioned and angry Nigerians, who he said, were let down by the process, to remain calm and steadfast, as according to him, “Rome was not built in a day.”

Atiku added that he was consulting with the party and Nigerians on the next step.

He said the PDP has “the real figures” from the election, adding that “this is the worst election in Nigeria’s democratic regime.”