- The national leadership of the PDP has expressed its lack of confidence in INEC ahead of 2019 general elections
- The opposition's national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, said that the commission's conduct of the Osun governorship poll deepens its fear for 2019
- Secondus therefor called on the EU and the US to rally round Nigeria to ensure free and credible elections come 2019
Prince Uche Secondus, the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that so far the opposition has confidence in the activities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In his reception speech to a delegation of the European Union (EU)'s election exploration mission to Nigeria led by Niclay Pausa, Secondus said that the lack of confidence in the commission was increasing. He made this remark in Abuja on Wednesday, October 24, Punch reports.
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According to Secondus, there are indications that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had concluded arrangements with INEC to play fowl game in the entire electoral process.
He went on to say that the conduct of the gubernatorial poll in Osun in September concretised the opposition's misgivings and fears about INEC's preparedness and neutrality ahead of 2019.
Secondus said that the party was not pleased about the fact that the alleged main agent of the APC in the commission, who he also said was a relation of the President, Amina Zakari, was redeployed from the operations department.
However, he said the PDP would want her to resign, adding that her continued stay in office would be detrimental to the peaceful conduct of the coming elections.
Secondus stated: “When we eschewed violence after the electoral theft in Osun State and decided to exercise our right to peaceful protest, the Inspector General of Police directed his personnel to tear-gas us notwithstanding the personalities involved in the protest.
“Such personalities included the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, five state governors, myself, members of the National Working Committee and other critical leaders of the party.
“Our fear is strong that the APC and the administration are not favourably disposed to a peaceful 2019 general elections and we based our position on the multiplicity of induced crises across the country.
“With all the unprecedented bloodletting in the country, the President is not engaging the people and a select group operating as a cabal has hijacked the system.”
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Secondus therefore called on international partners of Nigeria, especially the European Union and the United States of America (USA) to bring their influence to bear on the INEC to conduct free, fair and credible elections.
He also asked them to show more than passing interests in the activities of security agencies especially the police.
Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that the election observation teams of the US, EU and United Kingdom, on Thursday, September 27, gave their initial observation on the conduct of the rerun governorship election in Osun state.
Speaking in Osogbo in an interview by some journalists, a member of the observer team, who spoke on behalf of the others, said there were reports of irregularities, harassment and interference by inappropriate persons in the elections.
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Source: Legit.ng
