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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it will look into the grievances of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) regarding the outcome of the February 25 presidential election.
INEC National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye stated this while addressing PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, leaders and supporters of the party who protested at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, on Monday.
The protesters, led by Atiku, marched to INEC’s office to protest the result of the election won by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The protesters, who were dressed in black, started their demonstration from the PDP headquarters, causing heavy traffic congestion around the Maitama axis.
Okoye, who received the protest letter submitted by PDP, said it will be transmitted to INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, adding that the “grievances” will be addressed.
“I have received this particular protest letter on behalf of the chairman of INEC and I promise you that this letter will be transmitted to him.
“If there are remedial issues to be dealt with, we are going to deal with those remedial issues.
“But I want to assure you that this commission is a listening commission. This commission is a public trust and this commission belongs to the Nigerian people.
“This commission does not have any allegiance to any political party. We don’t have allegiance to any political party. We don’t have any allegiance to any candidate. Our allegiance is to the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I want to thank all of you for the peaceful way this protest has been conducted.
“The commission belongs to the Nigerian people and whatever grievances there are, we will look into all those grievances. If there are grievances that can be redressed, we will redress those grievances but I want to plead that all of us should continue to be peaceful and all of us should continue to respect the integrity of the commission and also the integrity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“I am going to go and hand over the protest letter to the chairman of the commission and I want to assure you that the commission will meet over this letter, look into it and address some of the issues,” he said.
While presenting the protest letter, PDP National Chairman, Sen Iyorchia Ayu, maintained that INEC must cancel the election and conduct a fresh one, saying “that will be respected not only by Nigerians but by the whole international community.”