2023: PDP presidential campaign faults APC over opposition to BVAS, electronic transmission 

….Atiku/Okowa campaign kicks too

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential campaign council has faulted the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu for opposition against the planned use of electronic transmission of the results of the next year’s general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

The Director of Strategic Communications of the campaign council, Otunba Dele Momodu while reacting to the opposition of the APC National Chairman yesterday in Abuja, wondered why the ruling party would be jittered over the planned use of Bimodal Voters’Accreditation System, BVAS, and electronic transmission of the results of the 2023 general election.

The APC National Chairman had expressed concern over the use of Bimodal Voters Accreditation System and INEC Results Viewing Portal, saying the party is not comfortable with the technology.

Speaking during a courtesy visit to the party’s national headquarters in Abuja by the Commonwealth Pre-Election Team from the Commonwealth secretariat in Abuja to assess the level of preparation, Adamu said he is not comfortable with the use of BVAS and IReV because of the poor quality of electricity and telecommunication network in the country.

Adamu lamented the lack of electricity even in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja saying that to transmit results, from every part of Nigeria, the network has to cover it.

While however reacting to the development yesterday, Otunba Momodu said, “I am very surprised that at this time and age, APC will still want us to operate analogue elections.

“The world has gone digital and anything that will eliminate political thuggery, cheating and rigging, I will expect any reasonable political party to support it.

“There should be no transmission of results from voting points? It’s like sending us 50 years back into antiquity. “At PDP, we will support transparent elections only. And we know that we stand to benefit from it. Anybody who is completely jittery knows why it’s complaining because they (APC) are used to manipulating elections. We told them in Osun. And we won.

“When people decided that this time, we will not allow you to rig and of course, electronics technology helped in Osun.

I have a notion that is what APC is running away from.

“If they could be defeated in Osun as incumbent, then, there is no power of incumbency again. Once we are able to use it, once you use it, there is nothing like incumbency.

“What ever votes you record is what will be published and is what will be approved.

“So, APC are very jittery about it. And the world can see who is jittery. APC is very jittery, and we will defeat them. There’s no doubt about that.

“Let me tell you, I believe that APC is already winding down. And when a political party begins to wind down, its ability to misbehave becomes weakened.

“But those who know President Mohammadu Buhari, know that once he is determined to do anything, he will do it.

“INEC is been blackmailed by APC, there is no question about it. They’ve done that in the past. Like when they extended their party primary. They were not supposed to extend the dates. The date was supposed to be sacrosanct, but APC made sure that they bullied INEC into submission.

“I pray and hope that INEC will not be bullied into accepting what would be so dangerous for Nigeria, because this election is so crucial.

“The country is not the personal property of anybody. APC has tried his best. Now, we’re able to juxtapose the PDP and the APC and anybody who is fair minded enough, would agree that APC deserves to rest.

“However, those who are close to President Buhari have told us that if there is one thing he is determined to achieve, if he has failed in any other ways, it is that he must be able to give Nigeria the most transparent elections and I pray he will deliver on it”, Momodu said.

Also, the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Organisation has said that the rejection of electronic transmission of results through the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and INEC Election Result Viewing portal (IReV) by the All Progressives Congress (APC) confirms that the APC and its Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, do not have genuine followership among Nigerians ahead of the 2023 elections.

The Atiku Campaign, in a statement by its Spokesperson, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, maintained that the APC has realized that given its mass failures across the spectrum of our polity, it does not enjoy the support of Nigerians and as such is scared of any process that will deliver a credible balloting in the elections.

According to Ologbondiyan, “APC’s mortal fear of mass rejection at the polls is directly behind its unnecessary tantrums against the electronic transmission of results.

“It is abundantly clear that the APC’s plan is to return our electoral process to the days of mass rigging through the use Incidence Forms, ballot box snatching, ballot stuffing and other electoral malpractices.

“Having become frustrated because of the introduction of technology to improve the electoral process, the APC is seeking ways to manipulate the elections to enable it to re-enact the horrible electoral seasons of its devious act of holding electoral officers by their jugulars and forcing them to write results for APC candidates.

“The APC will desire to deploy the use of armed helicopters in order to chase away Nigerians from their polling stations so as to write results and force same on INEC officials.

“The Atiku/Okowa Campaign urges Nigerians to remain vigilant on the decision reached by INEC to promote the integrity of our electoral process.

“The only option left for the APC is to accept the reality of its rejection and quietly fizzle away from our political firmament.

“After all, the APC has since lost the statutory integrity to field candidates in the 2023 general elections due to its illegal and unconstitutional congresses”, he said.