INEC messing up democracy in Nigeria ---Fayose
(Nigeria) Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has said that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, was messing up democracy in Nigeria with its handling of elections under the President Mohammadu Buhari led All Progressives, Congress, APC, government.
The governor, who described the postponement of the Rivers
State rerun elections and the alleged manipulation of the Imo North senatorial election
as another dangerous signal of what to come in 2019, asked how an INEC that
could not conduct elections conclusively in just one State will be able to
conduct elections in the entire country in 2019.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Special Assistant to
the governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the governor
reiterated his fear that "democracy
in Nigeria is being threatened by INEC and this should call for national and
international reflection.
"Lovers of democracy in Nigeria and the entire world
should be worried that after conducting inconclusive elections in Rivers State
in March this year, INEC postponed conclusion of the elections twice.
"INEC had on June 20 after a meeting with relevant
stakeholders, fixed June 30 as new date for the conclusion of the poll.
"However, the electoral commission postponed the elections for the second time,
claiming reports of violence, and one wonders how INEC will be able to conduct
elections in 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory in 2019 if it has not
been able to conclude elections in Rivers State in four months.”
Speaking further, the governor said President Buhari should be worried that since
he assumed office, all elections conducted by INEC ended inconclusive, adding
it should be clear to the President and his party men that absence of free,
fair and credible electoral process is a direct invitation to anarchy.
He said; "Nigerians had thought issues of violence,
ballot snatching and electoral fraud had been put behind them only for it to be
brought back frontally by the Buhari's government.
"President Buhari should ask himself if he would have
been elected if the system then did not
allow free and fair elections. INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu should also be worried if
there would have been an INEC to head if the 2015 elections had been
inconclusive.
"I therefore appeal to the APC led federal government
not to destroy the legacy of near credible electoral process bequeathed on
Nigeria by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, government.
"The APC led Federal Government should allow for a
system that will make Nigerians to be able to elect their leaders freely."
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