CPC Formally challenged Election Result in Nigeria

The Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, on Sunday formally challenged the result of the 2011 Presidential election, before an election petition tribunal sitting at the premises of the Abuja Division of the

Appeal Court of Nigeria.

The party which perfected the filing processes through its lead counsel, Chief Ricky Tarfa, SAN, yesterday evening, alleged  that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, attempted to frustrate its bid to challenge the election result in court by failing to fulfill  its promise via a letter dated April 18, agreeing to furnish it with all ballot papers and result sheets used in the election.

The CPC is seeking a nullification of the cumulative result of the April 16 presidential election, which it insisted was not the true reflection of what transpired at the various polling centres across the federation.

It specifically alleged that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, conspired with some dubious electoral officers and massively allocated votes in favour of incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan.

Going by the express provisions of the Electoral Act, 2010 and the 1999 Constitution as amended, the CPC would have been foreclosed from filing its petition again if it had failed to do so within 21 days after the presidential election result was announced by the electoral umpire, a date that expires today.

It maintained that INEC’s refusal to comply with the provision of section 151 (1) & (2) of the Electoral Act, 2010, as amended, and make available all ballot papers and result sheets used during the just concluded presidential election, further calls to question the 22,495,187 votes announced in favour of President Jonathan, on April 18, by the INEC chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega.
While insisting that its Presidential flag-bearer, Muhammadu Buhari, garnered more than the 12,214,853 votes allocated to him by the electoral body, it alleged that a formal forensic examination of the ballot papers, would further reveal what it termed “a most sordid electoral fraud ever known to man.”

It said though INEC ab-initio agreed to make available to it, these sensitive electoral materials that it said were in safe custody, upon payment of the necessary fees, but that INEC, however, declined to disclose the required amount.