…As Reps turn back PINE chair over N45bn budget details***

The Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate for the Kwara Central Senatorial District election in 2015, Alhaji Abdurahman Abdulrazaq, has sued the Independent National Electoral Commission for alleged manipulation of results in the election which was won by his  opponent of the All Progressives Congress, Dr. Bukola Saraki.

Saraki, after winning the general election, also contested and won the position of the Senate President.

Abdulrazaq, on Monday, filed a suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking an order of mandamus compelling INEC to prosecute an agent to Saraki during the collation of the results of the 2015 election, Alhaji Ladi Hassan, and the collating/returning officer, Mrs. Mulkah Ahmed.

The plaintiff alleged in his suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/92/2018, that Saraki was declared the winner of the election on March 28, 2017, when the results were only allegedly collated  by just Ahmed and Hassan (Saraki’s agent) at the district level on March 29, 2015.

He attached with his suit two sets of documents, with one set marked Exhibit 1, said to be showing that “the summaries of results from wards and Local Government Areas that make up the senatorial district were finally compiled on March 29, 2015 as the date on each of these forms read the same collation date.”

The second document attached to the suit as Exhibit 2 was said to be INEC Form EC 8E(1) “which is the Declaration of Results of Election compiled by Dr. (Mrs.) Mulkah A. Ahmed (the returning officer) and Ladi Hassan, agent to Dr. Bukola Saraki.”

Abdulrazaq alleged in his suit that “only two of them (Ahmed and Hassan) signed the form and March 28, was appended on the face of the form.”

An affidavit deposed to by the plaintiff’s aide, Alhaji Adebayo Oloyin, stated in part, “That it is a common sense that collation date will always precede declaration date as the collation dictates declaration of results.”

The deponent explained that the “offence committed” by the persons named cost his boss the merit of his petition at the Election Petitions Tribunal challenging Saraki’s election.

“That inconsistencies of the Exhibits1 and 2 led to the loss of the applicant’s petition against Dr. Bukola Saraki as the panel of the tribunal held that his petition was a day late because tribunal adopted March 28, 2015 which was a day before collation as the declaration of result day,” the supporting affidavit stated in part.

It was stated in the affidavit that Abdulrazaq had through Sundry Law Office, submitted a petition to INEC on September 18, 2015.

It stated that after waiting for a period and there was “no sign or move from the respondent (INEC) showing her intention to prosecute this offence,” the plaintiff authorised a similar petition dated December 22, 2015 to be written to the Office of Attorney General of the Federation.

It stated that the AGF office replied his petition through a letter dated February 4, 2016 and signed by the then Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr. Mohammed Diri.

It stated that the AGF office, in their letter, “redirected” the plaintiff to INEC.

The plaintiff was said to have following the letter from the AGF office written another petition to INEC requesting that the persons involved be prosecuted.

“That a letter of reminder dated November 16, 2017 was further written to the respondent (INEC) and up till now, no step whatsoever has been taken,” the affidavit added.

The case has not been assigned to a judge.

In the meantime, the 2018 budget defence of the Presidential Committee on North-East Initiative was stalled on Monday after members of the House of Representatives turned back the Executive Vice-Chairman of the committee, Mr. Tijjani Tumsah.

Tumsah had appeared before the House Committee on Internally Displaced Persons, chaired by an All Progressives Congress member from Jigawa State, Mr. Sani Zorro, for the defence.

The PCNI, an intervention body set up by the Presidency to attend to the welfare of IDPs in the North-East, has a budget of N45bn in 2018.

The same figure was appropriated in 2017.

But, members discovered that Tumsah came to the meeting on the 2018 estimates without including the details of how the 2017 version was utilised.

Members immediately queried the presentation and asked Tumsah to take his documents back.

Tumsah had claimed that he was unaware of the formal procedure for budget defence.

His excuse got members angry as they advised him against treating the National Assembly with levity.

Summing up the feelings of members, Zorro stated, “Despite making it clear in our letter of  December 6, 2017, what was required of you to present to the committee, it is unfortunate that the EVC has no details of the 2017 budget performance, a prerequisite for the presentation of the 2018 budget.

“Without the 2017 budget performance details, there is no way we can work on the 2018 budget.

“Please, when you are coming on Monday (next week), be equipped.

“Give us comprehensive information; this is appearing to be a trend because the last engagement we had with PCNI, you came blank, unprepared and you can’t explain how N45bn was spent.”

Tumsah promised to come prepared next time and exited the venue.

Punch