A political pressure group, the Vanguards of Democracy (VOD), has said that it is “very disheartening and shameful” that the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, “could stoop so low to deny the use of the INEC server in the collation and transmission of results for the 2019 elections, even though there was money appropriated for this in the budget the electoral umpire submitted to the National Assembly, and funds for same released to INEC.

“By deciding to compromise, the INEC Chairman has rubbished his so-called professorship and has ridiculed such appellation.

“This is a very dangerous partisan posturing that has the ability of pushing the country into widespread chaos,” the group said on Tuesday in a statement signed on its behalf by activist Nze Ugo-Akpe Onwuka (Oyi II).

The statement reads in part: “We ask that the INEC Chairman resign immediately and that INEC ceases henceforth to act as an arm and agent of the ruling party APC.

“Let all the actors in this sordid drama know that the citizens are not going to continue watching this horror movie for too long.

“After the elections, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came out with an assertion that the results on the INEC server was manipulated to favour the incumbent President.

“Following that allegation from the opposition, the APC through its spokespersons called for the arrest of the opposition PDP leaders for hiring hackers who planted fake results on the INEC server.

“How come all of a sudden the same INEC that did not counter the allegation by the PDP against the opposition has turned round to say that no server was used for the 2019 elections?

“With all the video evidences of the fact that INEC server was used in the election, we as citizens are shocked and traumatised to hear the man who should be impartial in his duties as an umpire, lie to the country that the server was not used for the election, but rather for experiment!

“With such unfortunate and disastrous lie, it goes to say that the money spent on training staff and volunteers on how to transmit results to the INEC server seems to have been wasted because of one man’s unfortunate and unequalled penchant for partisan and dangerous attachment to a government that is willing to maim and kill its citizens for electoral victory as seen and reported by local and international observers.

“Posterity would surely remember this man as the one who wittingly twisted the mandate of the masses through a desperately fibbing tongue and a manipulative mind.

“As the case continues at the election tribunal, the citizens are eagerly waiting and watching very closely to see what the judiciary that has also been intimidated into a willing tool in the hands of the executive will do.”

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