PDP accuses Jega of secretly meeting with APC leaders

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the Chairman of
the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru
Jega of colluding with the All Progressives Congress (APC) to rig
the upcoming general elections.
The ruling party made the allegations on Wednesday, February 11,
through the Director of Media and Publicity of its Presidential
Campaign Organisation, Femi Fani-Kayode .
Fani-Kayode also alleged that Jega had attended a meeting in
Dubai with some leaders of the APC.
“Pieces of information at our disposal have shown that Jega has had
meetings with the APC stalwarts in Dubai and other cities in the world
to perfect this wanton conspiracy against 23 million eligible voters.
Besides, we have information that the PVCs that Nigerians are
scrambling for are not in Nigeria and will not arrive before the
elections,” Fani-Kayode said.
“These PVCs are still in China and Jega has strategically delayed their
arrival to suit his electioneering permutations. The matter is that INEC
has failed in its responsibility to produce and distribute PVCs to about
34 per cent of registered voters who would require the cards to vote in
the elections. This brings us to the issue of statistics of PVC
distribution and collection which we believe Jega, as a person acting in
concert with some forces of retrogression, is playing games with,” he
added.
“We express our concerns today that Jega may have decided to aid the
APC to rig the forthcoming elections through the manipulation of the
production, distribution and collection of PVCs, such that emerging
trends have consistently shown calculated attempts to deprive parts of
the country that would traditionally vote for President Jonathan of their
PVCs,” he concluded.
The allegations have however been denied by the both the APC and
INEC.
“INEC doesn’t join issues with political parties, because the
commission is a dispassionate umpire,” Jega’s Chief Press Secretary
Kayode Idowu, said.
The APC also denied the reports through its National Publicity
Secretary, Lai Mohammed who said:
“I’m in Abuja with some of our leaders. Baba Bisi Akande is here,
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is here, former Governor Kayode Fayemi is here.
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is in Lagos. No leader of the APC is outside the
country. So, tell me who is Jega meeting? Is it members of our NEC?
Not one of our leaders is outside the country. This people are paranoid.
We are preparing for our NEC meeting. We have some of our governors
here. The PDP is paranoid"