Plot to stop Feb 14 elections thickens

• 16 parties, five presidential candidates seek suspension

With 16 out of the 28 registered political parties and five presidential candidates joining the campaign for the postponement of the general elections, whose first stanza holds on February 14, the plot for the suspension of the elections entered another phase yesterday.

The parties and the presidential candidates, at a press conference in Abuja, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to seriously consider shifting the date of elections to March or April, which will still not be against the provisions of sections 25 and 26 of the Electoral Act. Continue...

The parties were: United Democratic Party (UDP), Citizen Peoples Party (CPP), Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN), Action Alliance (AA), Peoples Democratic Congress (PDC), Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Labour Party (LP), Mega Progressive Peoples Party (MPPP), United Party of Nigeria (UPN), Alliance for Democracy (AD), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Advanced Congress Of Democrats (ACD), Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) and Independent Democrat (ID).

The five presidential candidates who were present at a press conference in Abuja where the demand was made were Godson Okoye (UDP), Chief Sam Okoye (CPP), Prince C.O Allagoe (PPN), Tunde Anifowose (AA) and Ganiu Galadima (ACPN). The position of the parties was against an earlier decision by all the registered parties under the aegis of Inter-party Advisory Council, which at a recent meeting with INEC, had canvassed against suspending the election.

The campaign for the suspension of the election had assumed a different tenor since National Security Adviser (NSA) Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd) had called for a poll shift in view of the poor distribution of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs).

Since then, at least four suits have been filed in courts to stop the election while some groups have embarked on protests to force INEC to reconsider its decision to keep to its electoral timeline.

The anti-February 14 group threatened to boycott the election should their demands be ignored. The political parties and the candidates hinged their call for the postponement of the elections on insecurity, poor distribution of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) and people deserting their residence for their villages out of fear of possibleoutbreak of violence during or after the elections.

They, however, called on the Federal Government to take necessary steps to provide adequate security for Nigerians to go out and collect their PVCs in order to exercise their civic and constitutional duty.

“We are not urging INEC to do anything that is unlawful, illegal or unconstitutional. It is unfortunately becoming clear by the day that most Nigerians appear not to be ready for election but are ready for violence,” Okoye who addressed reporters on behalf of the group said. He said the shift in date would afford INEC enough time to distribute the remaining PVCs so that at least more than 98 per cent of registered voters would have collected theirs.

The parties offered to assist INEC to ensure that the PVCs are collected in time for the rescheduled elections. They said they disagreed with IPAC Chairman, Dr. Tanko Yunusa, who overruled them at the last meeting with INEC he has an alliance with All Progressives Congress (APC).

They also expressed disappointment over the visit the United States Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry, to only two presidential candidates, President Goodluck Jonathan and Major General Muhammadu Buhari and the presidential debate centred on the APC presidential and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidates.

But at a different press briefing, the presidential candidate of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Chief Chekwas Okorie, condemned the call for the postponement of the elections. Okorie said the reason being given by the proponents of the postponement that many Nigerians would be disenfranchised having not been given their PVCs was contrived and pedestrian.

“As we speak, over 80 per cent of registered voters have received their PVCs according to latest figures released by INEC and this may increase to 90 per cent or above after the close of distribution of PVCs on February8, 2015, as planned by INEC,” he stated.

The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) also kicked against the call for the postponement of the general elections. The conference in a statement after its emergency meeting in Abuja, by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, stated that the postponement might lead to unintended consequences.

Notwithstanding the campaign for the postponement of the election, preparations for February 14 have continued with the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Suleiman Abba, ordering the deployment of men of the Special Protection Unit (SPU) and Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), around INEC officials and to guard election materials.

The police said in a statement yesterday by Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Mr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, an Acting Commissioner of Police, that the development was part of measures to guarantee maximum security for all participants and actors during and after the exercise. The statement said Abba gave the directive at the end of a strategy meeting with senior police officers in Abuja, on Monday. The meeting was held to appraise preparations towards the polls.