2019 Polls: INEC shamed Nigeria, says Saraki

Bukola Saraki

The Nigeria’s Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has condemned the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) over the conduct of the 2019 general election alleging that the agency had shamed Nigeria.

He has described the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the presidential election as a loss to the nation saying it will be short-lived.

Saraki spoke on Wednesday at an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja.

The Senate president condemned the role played by the military in the election saying it has made the country a laughing stock, saying: “This victory that the other party has seen is going to be short lived. If anybody believes that it is a loss to PDP, it is a loss to the country that history will not forgive.

“We said it many times here, that the worst to do is to do an election that as a country Nigeria will not be proud of. We have done an election that no doubt anybody and even those that think they have won are ashamed of the kind of election that we did.”

According to Saraki, it is a shame that those that were given that responsibility to conduct free and fair elections failed. He said they had Saturday, March 23, as their last opportunity to try as much as possible to reclaim part of their embarrassment to the country.

“How can a country like Nigeria, as the speaker said, Ghana has done it, even Congo, even Zimbabwe have done elections. And we say we do elections, with seven inconclusive. We did elections before, in 2015, we did it in 2011, 1999 and after so many years, this is what we can produce.

“It is not a loss to the PDP, it is to the country. It just shows the level of desperation. I have confidence that this will be shortlived and as such let us ensure on Saturday, that these five states that are ours remain within the PDP and INEC should for once do what is right.

“We have a great future ahead and I believe we will start that on Saturday to make sure that we defend those five states that are declared inconclusive,” he added.