The Kogi West Senatorial candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Omoluabi Bode Adeyemi has said the party will challenge the validity and legality of the polling units allegedly created by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to aid rigging in the forthcoming election.
Addressing a world press conference in Abuja on Saturday, Omoluabi accused INEC of creating the new polling units without informing all parties to file in agents for such units.
He contended that INEC has started underhand dealings that are strange to the spirit and letters of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act, as amended, which has strong capacity to undermine or compromise the forthcoming general election.
He argued that there is need for immediate judicial interpretation on whether INEC can create polling units secretly without notifying the political parties to be involved in the election in order to present agents for such election.
He noted the impartiality of INEC is under serious threat as the commission concealed the list of these polling units away from all the political parties apart from the APC.
The senatorial candidate argued that the role of party agents in any election is fundamental to the compliance with the electoral act, as amended.
“I can confirm to you that there are plans by INEC to use unannounced and illegal polling units during the coming elections. Intelligence has it that the commission decided to officially refused to notify political parties about these units with the aim of giving only the APC opportunity to provide agents in these strange units to be able to manipulate the election in favour of a particular party.
“This is a threat to a free and fair election and a potential threat to democratic sustenance in Nigeria. We will therefore challenge the applicability of this in court, in the interest of democracy and rule of law,” Omoluabi said.
