The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the eight-member in-house committee constituted by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to investigate reports of under-age voters in Kano State lacked credibility as it comprised officials of INEC.
National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan queried why INEC officials, who had been accused of complicity in the issue, be included in the committee.
It said that the panel had been detailed to arrive at pre-determined findings and recommendations to exonerate the commission and play down on the electoral implications of the existence of under-age voters.
The party said that the scope of the inquest, particularly the exclusion of Katsina State from the probe in spite of vast evidence of under-age voters in that state, was not acceptable.
“Nigerians have been wondering why INEC is afraid of looking at its register in Katsina state.
“Is it because Katsina is the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari and a probe is likely to expose cans of worms?
“Is INEC afraid that a sanitised register would lead to a massive drop in the voting population in the state and cripple APC’s rigging plan?
“Nigerians are also wondering why INEC has vehemently refused to include other stakeholders, including political parties, credible NGOs and Civil Society Organisations in this important assignment to guarantee its credibility,” it stated.
“Consequently, the PDP and all aligning stakeholders will not accept any findings or recommendations from INEC’s in-house committee as such will not reflect the reality on the ground regarding the contaminated register,’’ it added.
The PDP charged the INEC chairman to quickly redeem the image of the commission by immediately disbanding the flawed committee.
It advised the commission to set up a more credible and transparent panel made up of political parties, credible NGOs and CSOs, and extend the inquest to Katsina and other states.
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