A chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Buba Galadima, has said that some chieftains of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were applying pressure on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to flout the Electoral Act.
He said that the chieftains were urging the INEC boss not to deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for result transmission.
Galadima said this during an interview on Channels Television on Thursday.
“INEC chairman is under extensive pressure to tamper with the Electoral Act because the ruling party wanted to table an issue before the National Assembly such that they will force the chairman to write to National Assembly that it should not be compelling INEC to use the BVAS machine and this is the greatest disservice and an unpatriotic thing some elements in the ruling party are trying to put forward.
“They want to amend the Electoral Act, therefore, I want the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari to take note of some bad elements that want to smear his image when he leaves office.
“Listen to Senator Kabiru Gaya, the Chairman of Senate Committee on INEC who recently was on national television telling the world that INEC must be given an alternative either to use or not to use the BVAS because, in his own constituency of Gaya which is in the middle of Kano State, there’s no network to transmit results. He’s only preparing the ground for what they have designed as a party because they know this election, they have lost,” Galadima said.
IPAC also warned against dropping BVAS machine usage
The NNPP chieftain’s comment came barely a day after the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) warned against any move to pressurise the Commission into deactivating the BVAS machine.
IPAC also passed a vote of confidence on the INEC Chairman especially on the use of the BVAS machine and electronic transmission of results in the 2023 elections.
Kwankwaso will win
Meanwhile, Galadima said that the NNPP presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso will win the 2023 presidential election.
He said that Kwankwaso was assured of victory in the northern states.
“The northeast is completely Kwankwaso because he will win Taraba, Adamawa, Gombe, and Bauchi, including the governorship.
“He will win the north-east, north-central, and will win the north-west. All combined, they have over 50-something million voters.
“Kwankwaso will poach the south-south, southeast, and part of the southwest.
“I assure you that all Nigerians who desire freedom, development, progress, and health services, have no other person to vote for than Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso,” he said.
PDP not on the ballot
Galadima also said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is not in the presidential race.
“PDP is not even on the ballot because its strength is in the south-east, which has been eroded by Peter Obi.
“The next strength of PDP is in the south-south. With Wike never supporting Atiku, the south-south is gone,” Galadima said.