Timi Frank, a former deputy national publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has cautioned Nigerians not to be fooled by the call from the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to conduct a supplementary presidential elections in some parts of the country where elections didn’t hold, describing the exercise as a mere charade and a cheap blackmail by the electoral body trying assiduously to hoodwink Nigerians into being part of a larger game plan of legalising its doctored results in the event of a judicial decision at the tribunal.
Frank said the INEC boss, having realised his gaffe in handling the just concluded presidential polls, which he stated was marred by unprecedented widespread disenfranchisement by way of violence, deliberate voter suppression, intimidation and threats of INECs Recs by security forces, “is trying everything possible to save his neck from the gravity of the available evidence as witnessed in this monumental sham called elections.”
This was revealed in an emailed statement to The Trent signed by Timi Frank on Saturday, March 2, 2019, who said having realised the determination of the opposition in proceeding to the courts for redress, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, “who is now obviously jittery is suddenly desperate in conducting supplementary presidential elections at a time when he had earlier refused after his attention was sought by the PDP agent at the national collation centre.
“This sudden rigmarole in retracing his step can at best be described as ‘medicine after death’ having already issues a certificate of return to the purported winner of the February 23, 2019, elections.”
The political activist urged Nigerians to ask Prof. Yakubu some salient questions like “whose purpose will a supplementary elections serve, when a certificate of return has been duly issued?
“Is the total population of where the supplementary elections will hold greater than the margin of 3,928,869 illegally awarded the ruling party as recorded by INEC?
“Why the sudden haste in organising a supplementary presidential election, when INEC and it’s election observers have adjudge the elections to be free, fair and credible.
“Which observers will INEC depend on to supervise this supplementary elections?
“Why should Nigerians trust the INEC chairman with their safety and fairness when they’re already aware of the daylight robbery and connivance with the ruling party last Saturday?
He said the INEC chairman must be reminded that Nigerians may not be as foolish and gullible as assumed by the ruling party and it’s collaborators in the commission.
According to Frank, the decision of the PDP candidate to proceed to the tribunal for redress of his stolen mandate is within his rights and as such, any talk of a supplementary elections may be dead on arrival, as the INEC chairman must accept culpability and responsibilities for his actions and inactions when the time of reckoning beckons.
“The INEC chairman disregarded all calls from stakeholders to be liberal in his judgement by halting the announcement of a winner given to the gravity of intimidation and widespread military takeover of its states collation centres, but instead proceeded with proclaiming a winner without recourse to fairness and equity. Having announced a winner therefore, it will be right to assume that INEC has complied with the electoral act and may not necessarily need any supplementary elections as that action may be fruitless ab initio.
“It is rather unfortunate that the international elections observers and monitors who had a mandate in reporting irregularities and other electoral malpractices as in the norm worldwide, were instead cowed and coerced into adjudging the elections as free, fair and credible at a time when local observers had dismissed the credibility of the elections owing to widespread intimidation / manipulations and military brutality in opposition strongholds leading to the death of innocent Nigerians. In summary Nigerians across board have come to the conclusions, that this was the worst elections ever in the history of their return to democracy.
“Finally I would like to commend the PDP Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar on his resolve to reclaiming his mandate at the tribunal, as only the will of God will prevail in the affairs of men. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is the wish of the people and that wish will stand in due course. The cabal and it’s collaborators will realize that nothing can stop destiny when it’s TIME has come.”
