Amaechi on Saturday said he was one of those who kicked against Yakubu’s reappointment, adding that the person who nominated him for INEC appointment is a member of Tinubu’s camp.
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has reacted to a comment made by the immediate past transportation minister, Rotimi Amaechi, that the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu was recommended for appointment by a member of Bola Tinubu’s camp.
Amaechi on Saturday said he was one of those who kicked against Yakubu’s reappointment, adding that the person who nominated him for INEC appointment is a member of Tinubu’s camp.
Tinubu was declared the winner of the presidential election held on February 25 by INEC, but the victory has been a subject of litigation.
Also according to Amaechi, Yakubu worked under Governor Nyesom Wike when the Rivers State governor was the Minister of State for Education and Interim Minister of Education in the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.
“INEC is a complete failure. There are those of us who opposed the reappointment of Yakubu Mahmood. The person who nominated him is a member of Tinubu’s camp. So what are you expecting?
“Here in Rivers State, Mahmood worked under Wike as Executive Secretary of TETFund; so what you are having in Rivers is that APC and other parties are contesting, not against PDP, but against INEC, against police,” Amaechi had said.
Responding in a statement on Sunday, Atiku’s Special Assistant on Public Communication, Mr. Phrank Shaibu said Amaechi’s revelation was a “confirmation of our worst fears that Yakubu's INEC was working for the APC.”
The statement read, “Former Governor Amaechi’s revelation is only a confirmation of what everyone always knew. That INEC under the leadership of Prof. Yakubu is inside the deepest corner of Bola Tinubu’s pocket.
“This is a confirmation of our earlier statement that Tinubu had already embarked on a systematic state capture where the police, INEC, and the judiciary are in his pocket. Is it not surprising that the AIG who was deployed in Rivers State to supervise the governorship and Presidential elections is Kayode Egbetokun, a known ally of Tinubu who also served as Tinubu’s Chief Security Officer while he was governor of Lagos?
“This unholy alliance between INEC and the police is the reason why the election in Rivers State remains one of the most rigged in the history of Nigeria. Indeed, the journey to state capture has begun.”
Shaibu added that the INEC chairman’s alleged compromise was the reason why results were not uploaded on Election Day, and also, the same reason why Yakubu continued to announce the results despite protests from political parties.
He said when the story of Nigerian elections is told, the name of Yakubu will be mentioned for the wrong reasons.
Atiku’s aide added, “INEC chairman was following a script written by Tinubu, his de facto boss. This explains why, after promising Nigerians that he would upload election results from polling units, he changed his mind at the last minute and then blamed it on glitches.
“Truth be told, Yakubu was the only glitch because of his incestuous affair with Tinubu’s APC.
“His predecessor, Prof. Attahiru Jega conducted two credible presidential elections in 2011 and 2015. The 2015 election was so credible that it witnessed the lowest number of election petitions and court disputes.
“Rather than improve on this, Prof Yakubu put his personal interest far and above that of over 200 million Nigerians. He claimed before the election at Chatham House that the electoral system he put in place was so advanced that the human body odour could be used for voter accreditation if he wanted. But this was all part of his grand deception.
“Despite receiving higher allocations than any other INEC chairman in history, Prof Yakubu could not conduct a credible election. This is indeed shameful for a man who over 200 million Nigerians saw as their last hope.”
Shaibu said the exposé by an online platform on the eve of the presidential election that INEC had been compromised by Tinubu, has proved to be true after all.
Atiku’s aide added that it was also disheartening that the INEC chairman continued to award sensitive election contracts to APC candidates.