Timi Frank, a former deputy national publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has again accused the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu of meeting with the President, General Muhammadu Buhari and some members of his administration at midnight on Saturday, February 9, 2019, aimed at perfecting rigging strategies for the forthcoming general elections.
Frank in an emailed statement to The Trent on Sunday, February 10, 2019, said he had incontrovertible evidence provided by sources in the know about the nocturnal meeting between Yakubu, Buhari’s relative, Amina Zakari, General Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole and the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, at midnight of Saturday at the Defence House.
He stated that information available to him revealed that Yakubu who wore a dark suit, and Amina Zakari spotting a loose fitting outfit, arrived the Defence House at 1.15 am in a Black Lexus bulletproof Jeep and were thereafter ushered into the meeting which lasted for one hour.
Frank said: “It is unbecoming for Yakubu and Buhari’s relative, Amina Zakari, to again hold a night session with PMB and members of his cabinet a few days to the Presidential and National Assembly elections as well as Governorship and House of Assembly polls.
“The INEC’s boss must explain to Nigerians what he was doing with Buhari, members of his administration and a top Security Chief at such an ungodly hour few days to the Presidential poll.”
He insisted that the meeting was an evil strategy session anchored basically on how to rig the elections in favour of Buhari and APC candidates, even as he wondered why an electoral umpire expected to be unbiased and apolitical would continue to engage in a sellout nocturnal conversation with one political party – contending for offices in a crucial national poll.
Frank said: “Recall that I had earlier alerted Nigerians and the international community of how a nocturnal meeting between Buhari, Yakubu and Zakari at the Villa led to the appointment of the latter as the head of the Presidential election results collation centre.
“Also recall that recently I exposed APC’s plan to use military personnel – disguised as civilians – as Presiding Officers during the combining elections. “I strongly hold that the presence of the COAS is a confirmation of this ugly development. If not, what was Buratai doing at such a meeting?”
He lamented that the rigging of the 2019 election by the INEC’s boss has already commenced with his unilateral adoption of a jaundiced 2019 electoral guidelines as well as his central selection and appointment of known APC apologists as returning officers across the country.
He urged the opposition political parties to be vigilant during the elections in order to thwart the rigging efforts aimed at depriving them of deserved victory in their respective political strongholds.
While noting that the results of the various polls already conducted have tipped the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to win the Presidential elections, he urged Nigerians and the international community to hold Buhari, APC and INEC responsible should they manipulate the voting process to produce a contrary outcome.
He urged both local and international election observers to prevail on the INEC and the Presidency to refrain from their rigging plot as it is capable of throwing the country into chaos and anarchy of cataclysmic proportion.
