National chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Damagun, has expressed dissatisfaction over the conduct and outcomes of off-cycle governorship elections organized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Saturday.
Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, Damagun said Saturday’s off-season governorship elections, especially in Kogi and Imo states, confirmed the party’s worst fears about INEC.
He expressed fears that INEC may not conduct credible elections in the country in future.
“We want to state in clear terms that the election held on Saturday has further confirmed the fears that have been laid on the umpire. We have seen all sorts of violence, intimidation and high-handedness,” he said.
“This has further confirmed that the electoral body has completely derailed from the road it was supposed to take. People have lost confidence; voters were completely disenfranchised due to the complicity of some of the agencies that were to help to have a very fair election but they completely compromised.
“This election is worse than even the one we had earlier. I want to use this medium to tell Nigerians that this is not what we bargained for and also express our fear that if we go on in this kind of manner, I am afraid that come other elections that will be off season which is coming up very soon, may be there will be no election in this country. It will be a written result.
“I ask all Nigerians to pray for this country because I don’t know if this is a cause that has happened to us in this country or if this is our way. We should pray that if this is what we are, then God should intervene.
“However, those that have been be cheated in this election should purse their grievance through the lawful means even though we have doubts that even the lawful means is also a sad story. In a country where justice is not dispensed, then anarchy is imminent.”
