Former Nigeria’s Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who contested against President Goodluck Jonathan in the presidential primaries of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 13 Jan., has petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) seeking the cancellation of the primaries, won by the President. According to the local media, Abubakar’s petition is based on allegations of bribery, coercion and election rigging against President Jonathan and some state governors sympathetic to him.
He alleged that the delegates who voted in the primaries were bribed with US$7,000 each and kept away from the reach of Abubakar.
The petition also alleged, among others, that no special congresses were held anywhere in the country to elect the 774 special delegates who voted during the primaries in the capital city of Abuja and that there were no published list of delegates prior to the primaries.
‘The process leading to the conduct of the presidential primary election was programmed to yield a pre-determined outcome,’ it said. ‘A grand conspiracy against Atiku Abubakar was constructed between the presidency, the party leadership and the bulk of the PDP state governors to produce only one result – the success of Jonathan at the primary election,’ it said.
Spokesman for the President’s campaign organisation, Mr. Sully Abu, challenged the former VP to support his petition with evidence.
INEC spokesman Kayode Idowu, on his part, said the commission would investigate the petition, without giving a time-line.
Nigeria goes to the polls in April to elect state and federal legislators, governors and the President.
INEC was expected to publish the final list of candidates for the election Sunday.