The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has again rejected the outcome of the February 25 presidential election and the declaration of Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress as President‑elect. In a protest letter handed to INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Monday, the PDP demanded that the Independent National Electoral Commission suspend the ongoing transmission of polling‑unit results to its servers, calling the practice a total violation of the Electoral Act 2022.
The party warned INEC against a repeat of the February 25 experience ahead of the governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections scheduled for March 11, 2023. While presenting the petition to INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of Voter Education and Publicity, Festus Okoye, the PDP’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, said: “We call on your commission to suspend the ongoing transmission of polling‑unit results to your servers, which is in complete breach of the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022. We reject and declare unacceptable the outcome, announcement, and declaration of the presidential election results. Any attempt to manipulate the electoral process will be vehemently resisted.”
The petition further demanded an explanation for proceeding with the declaration of results “marred with irregularities” despite repeated calls to address complaints raised before and during the collation process.
The PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, led the protest march, flanked by Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku, former PDP National Chairman Uche Secondus, Senator Dino Melaye, former Imo State Governor Emeka Ihedioha, former Adamawa State Governor Boni Haruna, and other party chieftains.
INEC had announced that Bola Tinubu was elected President after defeating the PDP’s Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party candidate Peter Obi, a result the PDP and Labour Party denounced as riddled with massive irregularities. The PDP condemned what it described as an “absurd and brazen rape of the electoral process,” insisting that Nigeria must be governed by the rule of law and that the party owed its citizens a genuine democratic experience.
The party called on all Nigerians, both at home and in the diaspora, to stand firm in defending their rights and votes, urging them to be “co‑partners in defence of our democracy, votes, the rule of law and the right to freely choose candidates.” It noted that, despite widespread agitation over alleged irregularities during collation, INEC proceeded with the announcement in disregard of the Electoral Act 2022.
After receiving the letter, Festus Okoye said, “I have received this protest letter on behalf of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission and I promise you this letter will be transmitted to him. If there are remedial issues we will deal with those remedial issues. I want to assure you that this commission is a listening commission. This commission is a public trust and belongs to the Nigerian people. Our allegiance is to the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This commission does not owe allegiance to any political party.”
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