Atiku Reveals How INEC Allegedly Deducted His Votes to Ensure Tinubu Won

Atiku Reveals How INEC Allegedly Deducted His Votes to Ensure Tinubu Won

  • Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate in the February 25 elections, has finally filed a petition to challenge the victory of APC's Bola Tinubu
  • Among other allegations, the former vice president, in his petition, alleged that INEC deducted from his votes to facilitate Tinubu's victory
  • Atiku, who is asking the court to declare him president or order a fresh poll, also revealed how he would prove his allegations in court

FCT, Abuja - The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 25 elections, Atiku Abubakar, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of deducting his votes to facilitate the victory of the president-elect, Bola Tinubu.

Atiku also accused INEC of allocating votes to the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate who was declared the election winner, Premium Times reported.

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Tinubu and Atiku/2023 Presidential Election/INEC
PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar filed a petition against Tinubu's victory. Photo credit: Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu
Source: Twitter

The former vice president's accusations were contained in a petition filed on Tuesday, March 21, at the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja.

Legit.ng gathers that Atiku and the PDP jointly sued INEC, Tinubu and the APC as co-petitioners.

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INEC manipulated BVAS, Atiku claims

Atiku, in his petition, further alleged that the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) machines, meant to upload election data and transmit election results in real-time to the electronic collation system and IReV portal, were manipulated by INEC.

He claimed that INEC manipulated the machines to intercept the results and filter them before releasing same to the IReV portal.

The former vice president said INEC’s attribution of its failure to electronically transmit results from polling units to the election collation system to “glitches” was untenable.

Contrary to INEC’s claim, he argued that “there was no failure of ‘server,’ as the server was cloud-based and virtual.”

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Atiku further said INEC did not comply with its own rules and guidelines for the conduct of the presidential election, just as he argued that there was substantial non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act and the Nigerian constitution.

How I will prove the accusations in court, Atiku reveals

In the petition filed by Atiku’s legal team led by Joe-Kyari Gadzama, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Atiku and the PDP vowed to “lead oral and documentary evidence” at the court to prove their case.

Atiku, through his lawyers, said he would prove his case by providing expert evidence to show that INEC's claim is untenable.

Two companies to testify in court

Meanwhile, Atiku said he would subpoena a South African company, Kaspersky Endpoint Security, to provide expert witnesses in the deployment of technology for the conduct of the presidential election.

Legit.ng gathered that Kaspersky Endpoint Security provided system security for the BVAS machines and electronic transmission system deployed by INEC during the polls.

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Atiku also said he would subpoena Nigeria’s telecommunications giant, Globacom Nigeria Limited, which provided internet for the system deployed by INEC during the election.

The PDP presidential candidate, in his prayers, wants the court to either declare him Nigeria’s president or order a fresh poll in which Tinubu would be excluded from participating.

Nigerians react

Eze Eze commented on Facebook:

"From what INEC posted on its website as my polling unit result, it shows overvoting different from what we counted."

Kayode Oluwafemi said:

"INEC deducted Obi's vote, deducted Atiku's vote, who come be the real winner self? Wahala for supreme court justices."

David Okunlola said:

"Oga na lié! You think say all the factions like G5, NNPP & LP. that came out from PDP will not affect you? E ti lulè sir."

Engr Ibrahim Khalil said:

"I don't understand you guys, between you and your former Boy (Obi) Who really won it?"

Read also

2023 guber poll: PDP rejects APC's victory in Kaduna, Zamfara, Kebbi, accuses INEC of rigging

Tinubu has reversed gains made in Nigeria’s democracy, says Atiku

Meanwhile, Atiku had earlier declared that under a Tinubu presidency, Nigeria would be reminiscent of Germany under Adolph Hitler, where Jews were targeted and rights to vote and speak were suppressed.

The former vice president stated that the governorship election in Lagos, where thugs allegedly asked those not planning to vote for the APC to return home, was just a tip of what to expect under a Tinubu administration.

He added that it was even more disheartening that the thugs were profiling voters and beating up those who were of Igbo extraction.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Nurudeen Lawal avatar

Nurudeen Lawal (Head of Politics and Current Affairs Desk) Nurudeen Lawal is an AFP-certified journalist with a wealth of experience spanning over 8 years. He received his B/Arts degree in Literature-in-English from OAU. Lawal is the Head of the Politics/CA Desk at Legit.ng, where he applies his expertise to provide incisive coverage of events. He was named the Political Desk Head of the Year (Nigeria Media Nite-Out Award 2023). He is also a certified fact-checker (Dubawa fellowship, 2020). Contact him at lawal.nurudeen@corp.legit.ng or +2347057737768.