… insists ‘we’ll reject polls under Zakari’s watch’
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared that it would reject elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under its acting chairman, Amina Zakari.
The opposition party has therefore made its complaints known to two international organisations – the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and International Republican Institute (IRI) in Abuja.
This comes on the heels of the official visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to the United States President Barack Obama.
It argued that, besides Zakari’s emergence, the interference of the director-general, Department of State Services (DSS), Lawan Daura, in election tribunals and the travails of deputy Senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, allegedly orchestrated by the presidency and his party – the All Progressives Congress (APC) – are indications of an authoritarian regime.
Olisa Metuh, PDP national publicity secretary, who led a delegation to the NDI and IRI separately in Abuja on Thursday, said: “It would be very difficult for the PDP to accept the result of any election conducted by INEC if Amina Zakari continues to be chairperson of INEC.”
Recall that the electoral commission had announced November 21 and December 5, as governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states, respectively.
Metuh, who described Zakari as “daughter of the president,” said there was no where in the world that chairman of an electoral commission had a relationship with the president of the country, besides other members of the party.
He noted that while “PDP does not question her capacity to do the job,” the party was opposed to her appointment “because of her closeness with the president.”
PDP’s spokesman said the idea of independence of the electoral umpire should be seen to be above board, noting that justice must be seen to be done.
He further lamented what he described as witch-hunt, harassment, campaign of calumny and intimidation of PDP chieftains, especially Ekweremadu.
He said: “We have come to alert the international community of issues that if not well handled could affect or truncate democracy that we have enjoyed in this country. As a major international organization impress it upon the president to respect the tenets of democracy.”
While he warned that “democracy is already on trial in Nigeria” Metuh called on the “president to be fair and just and administer affairs as a father to all in the county.
Responding, the resident country director of NDI, Jasper Veen, urged political parties to adhere to internal party democracy and party constitutions, noting that the quality of democratic system was a reflection of how political parties deal with the emergence of candidates.
On his part, the resident programme officer, Sentell Barnes, also harped on the need for internal party democracy.
While he assured PDP of IRI’s willingness to strengthening relationship with the party, he said the Institute was interested in free and fair elections in Nigeria, as seen in the team of observers that came for the last election.
