SAN FRANCISCO, February 05, (THEWILL) – As the call continues in some quarters for the postponement of the February elections, some political parties have kicked against the move.
The parties, numbering 10, include the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM), Accord Party, KOWA Party, APA, MPPP, SDP, ADC, HDP, DPP and UPP. They expressed their displeasure on the call at a media briefing in Abuja Thursday, warning that such underhand and undemocratic tactic could plunge the country into anarchy.
Expressing their opposition to the move at a media briefing in Abuja, the leadership of the 10 parties said they were opposed to what they described as the infamous campaign to scuttle the country’s democracy.
Speaking on behalf of the other parties, PDM National Chairman, Alhaji Bashir Yusuf Ibrahim, condemned the call for the postponement of the election, describing it as dubious and evil.
Faulting the postponement call, Ibrahim said it had nothing to do with the preparedness or otherwise of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct the election or the pace of distribution and collection of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs).
“We condemn in the strongest terms possible, this underhand and undemocratic tactic meant to plunge our country into anarchy, on top of the debilitating state of insecurity which has become pervasive in the land,” Ibrahim said, maintaining that there was no reason for the postponement, since INEC had assured that it was ready to conduct the poll.
Referring to the assurance given by the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief Air Marshall Alexander Badeh, that adequate security would be provided for the elections even in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States despite the Boko Haram insurgency, the parties said: “The military, led by the Chief of Defence Staff, had guaranteed adequate security on land and air for a successful and safe conduct of the 2015 general election.
“This ought to have settled the fears about the security of lives and property as well as of the electorate and INEC officials.”
“The governors and citizens of the three states have not complained either to the INEC or the Executive and Legislative arms of government that their citizens would be disenfranchised if elections were held in their states.”
“The call for the postponement of the general election is, therefore, a call orchestrated by one of the political parties which has continued to invest huge sums of money to ensure the elections do not hold as scheduled, out of fear of losing power for the first time since 1999.”
“Our democracy has come of age and Nigerians are ready for change, we will not allow desperation and power-mongering to scuttle it and will do whatever is necessary to defend it and ensure that the general election holds as scheduled.”
“We call on the INEC not to be intimidated by desperate elements and to proceed with its preparations for the general election as scheduled. We assure INEC we shall stand by it, shoulder to shoulder, to ensure our democracy is not undermined.”
They therefore urged major stakeholders, especially well-meaning political parties and their presidential candidates, the INEC and the National Assembly as well as all the security agencies in the country to stand together to ensure that the 2015 general election is conducted as scheduled and guarantee that Nigeria survives to face another general election in 2019.
They also called on friends of Nigeria and the international community at large to stand with Nigeria and put pressure on the authorities to comply with the timetable of democratic elections as released by INEC.
