The agent of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, former Niger Delta affairs minister, Godsday Orubebe, this morning interrupted announcement of results for the presidential election, as he publicly accused the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, chairman, Attahiru Jega, of bias, partiality and favouring the opposition party, All Progressive Congress, APC.
“We have raised issues about results in Kano, in Kaduna, Jigawa and Katsina and yet you have done nothing about it. You are biased. You are partial. You are tribalistic,” Orubebe shouted as he brought the process to a halt.
The former minister alleged that the INEC chairman rejected a petition which the wanted to submit even though , he accepted and has since acted on a petition from the APC regarding the elections in Rivers State.
He also alleged that the INEC chairman had been giving results to the APC which the party had been publishing before formal announcement by the electoral body. PDP Orubebe held up the results announcement for over 20 minutes, initially refusing to allow Jega respond to the allegations and demanding that he returns to his office to take action on the PDP petitions.
Eventually, when he was able to respond , Jega said one of the PDP’s agents, Bello Fadile, had attempted to hand over some documents to his personal assistant while the results collation and announcements were going on and he directed that the documents be returned.
“Dr (Bello) Fadile, after we declared recess, came on to this platform, as a party agent he is not supposed to do that, and gave some documents to my PA, who is writing results here,” he said, adding that he asked the PA to return the documents to Fadile because he (Jega) did not say they should be given to him.
It is curious how Fadile, a retired colonel in the Nigerian Army, served as an agent for the PDP as he is an official of the office of the National Security Adviser.
According to Jega, he expected the PDP to submit any petition to the commission’s secretary, who was in the office and would bring them to him if need be.
“I have started collation. I cannot be receiving petition in this hall on this platform,” Jega said he replied to Fadile through a text message.
According to the INEC boss, he was yet to receive anything from the commission’s secretary.
Jega also addressed the PDP’s accusation that he gave results to the APC, which was published on the party’s website.
“I do not give results to anybody. The results we announce formally as INEC are results that are declared here and we have warned everybody to be careful and to ensure that they do not declare results which we have not officially announced. I have seen any results. I have not given anybody any results.”
He went on to remind Godsday Orubebe of the need to exercise restraint, especially given his status in the society.
“Mr Orubebe, you are a former minister of the Federal Republic, you are a statesman in your own right. So, you should be careful what you say or what accusations or allegations you make, and certainly you should be careful about your public conduct,” he said.