Comrade Timi Frank, former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has said the ruling party is not ready for credible, free and fair polls .
Frank cited alleged 16 bags of already thumb-printed 3.3 million ballot paper in favour of the ruling party for Kano and many other states, as evidence of alleged fraud being perpetrated by the ruling party.
He also alleged that the pressure on the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission to stagger the presidential and national assembly elections was part of rigging template of the APC, which he alleged was hashed at a meeting attended by INEC leadership and top persons in the government
Frank said that despite denials by the Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu and others who attended the secret meeting, the template designed by the APC’s leadership to rig the presidential election also included staggered and postponement of elections in some states to frustrate the electorate.
The former APC’s deputy national spokesman said Professor Yakubu’s insistence that he would conduct the election in just one day was against the rigging template of the leadership of the APC, hence the frontal attacks against him by the presidency and the National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole
In a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Sunday, Frank said that Nigerians and the international community should disregard the disappointment expressed by government over the postponed presidential and National Assembly elections last Saturday,.describing as mere “lip service”.
The political activist also blasted Kaduna State Governor Nasir El- Rufai for what he said is deliberate falsehood aimed at instigating chaos and crisis in Kaduna with aim to postpone election in that state.
He condemned the governor who he said lied that 66 persons mostly Fulanis were allegedly killed by unidentified gunmen in the state on the eve of the postponed elections in order to provoke ethno-religious conflict in the volatile state and force a cancellation of poll results in the state.
His words: “I have been vindicated on my earlier revelation about the INEC’s secret meeting with Gen Buhari,” said the Bayelsa-born political activist.
While calling on Nigerians to resist any attempt to impose a former INEC’s head of logistic, Hajia Amina Zakari, as the electoral umpire, Frank urged Prof Yakubu to remain resolute in the face of intimidation and blackmail by the APC’s leaders.
“Intelligence at my disposal presently indicates that the presidency and some APC leaders are no longer comfortable with Prof. Yakubu’s headship of INEC but they should bear it in mind that INEC is a constitutionally guaranteed independent body.
“Nigerians must be prepared to resist imposition of Amina Zakari as the new chairman of INEC,” he stated.
On the readiness of Gen. Buhari to relinquish power if defeated, Frank expressed worry over the kind of statements credited to the president in a recent interview with CNN, where the former military ruler said ‘nobody can unseat me.’
“Gen. Buhari is yet to come to terms with democratic processes. His recent comment has shown that he is a sit-tight leader at heart, doing everything possible to repeat what he did in 1983,” he said.
Comrade Frank therefore called on the international community to continue to keep an eye on the process leading to the elections, to avoid chaos in Africa’s most populous country.
He also urged Nigerian voters not to be discouraged but use their PVCs wisely on 23rd of February.
