The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says because of the oath of secrecy on official documents, it will not engage the PDP in discussion regarding petitions before the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal.
Festus Okoye, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, INEC, said in a statement.
Responding to PDP’s allegation that INEC refused to release election materials used to conduct the February 23, 2019, Presidential election, as ordered by the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal, the INEC’s National Commissioner Festus Okoye stated that the material was classified.
“The commission is a law-abiding institution and will not engage in the media, petitions that are classified.”
Despite not releasing the material to the Tribunal, Okoye said INEC had respect for the judicial institutions and intended to “obey the orders of courts’’.
Meanwhile, the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan said the continued refusal of INEC to release the electoral materials to the party and its legal team was provocative, standing in the way of justice and working against the will of the people.
Ologbondiyan added that this was an indication that INEC was trying to frustrate the PDP and its candidate.
Ologbondiyan said that INEC and the APC were apprehensive that the materials used in the poll would show the tribunal that the PDP and its Presidential Candidate Atiku Abubakar, clearly won the election. (NAN)