The Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed has come out to declare that the ruling All Progressives Congress rigged the 2019 General elections.
Speaking when he featured on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, on Thursday, Mohammed alleged that fraud on the part of either INEC or security operatives cost his party the election.
You would recall that President Muhammadu Buhari and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar were the leading contenders in the election which many believe lacked credibility.
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While Buhari ran under the All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku was the candidate of the opposition PDP.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared APC the winner of the election.
Although Atiku and his party challenged the outcome of the election from the tribunal up to the Supreme Court, they could not upturn the victory of Buhari.
He said Nigerians knew what transpired during the 2019 elections, adding that his party has learned its lessons.
‘The general impression within the party and within the country is that we actually won the election and that we lost to a lot of fraud, to a lot of manipulations that was perpetrated by either the electoral umpire or by the security operatives.’
‘We do not want to be the whipping boys, we have looked inward to see what had prevented us from winning the election. We have a lot of evidence, which we tendered but was not accepted. The issue now is that we know we are all Nigerians. We know the nook and cranny of Nigeria. We know what happened in 2019.
‘We are not only looking at the other side and playing the blame game that is the fault of this present administration. We are also critical with ourselves, where we have some gaps, loopholes, and inadequacies.
‘We are not only looking at the other side, but we are also looking at ourselves, looking at our internal politics, and giving a level playing field for the youths and women who are a majority in terms of demographics and in terms of interest.
‘And of course, making sure that the electoral umpire, the INEC that is now instituting some reforms will also become impartial.’
Nigeria would head to the polls again in 2023 although the Incumbent would not be eligible for the contest.
The Bauchi Governor would be hoping his party gets its right by then.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK