INEC worked against us in 2019 elections

Adams Oshiomole, the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) worked against his party in the just-concluded general election.

Mr Oshiomhole disclosed this during an interview tagged: “Hard Copy” on Channels Television on Friday evening.

“I have huge reservations about the way INEC conducted this election. INEC bias against APC is so clear”, he said. “INEC was biased even in the way it dealt with our primaries, INEC was biased in the way in which it selectively used the card readers or the non-use of card readers in some states where it suits them.”

The former labour leader alleged that the non-use of card readers caused the APC to lose elections in some states.

The APC lost governorship elections in four states it currently governs (Imo, Ogun, Adamawa and Bauchi) but won in two states currently governed by the opposition (Kwara and Gombe).

Mr Oshiomhole said he would never defend INEC’s “gross misconduct regarding (the) last election.”

The selective use of card readers is also one of the issues raised by Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Mr Abubakar is challenging the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC.

Responding to a question on the election of the leadership of the 9th National Assembly, Mr Oshiomole said he has no power to appoint anyone as Senate President.

“Do I look like someone who can appoint and impose somebody on the Senate, even if I wished to? All I have is to persuade. The power to negotiate and the power to point out what might go wrong if the party does not organise itself as to obtain a process for electing leadership,” he said.

He, however, said all six geopolitical zones will have a principal officer in the Senate and in the House of Representatives.

Mr Oshiomhole and the APC leadership had endorsed Ahmed Lawan as the next Senate president and Femi Gbajabiamila as the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The move has, however, been opposed by other APC elected lawmakers, including Ali Ndume, a Borno senator who seeks to be Senate President.