Nigerians queuing a polling station
With no resolution reached at the Council of State meeting on whether the general election would take place as scheduled or be postponed, a coalition of 10 political parties on Thursday kicked against the postponement of the polls, alleging that those who scuttled the June 12, 1993 general election had coalesced again and were about to re-enact the situation for their selfish ends.
With no resolution reached at the Council of State meeting on whether the general election would take place as scheduled or be postponed, a coalition of 10 political parties on Thursday kicked against the postponement of the polls, alleging that those who scuttled the June 12, 1993 general election had coalesced again and were about to re-enact the situation for their selfish ends.
The parties, under the aegis of Coalition of Progressive Political
Parties (COPP), expressed shock at the conduct of 16 other parties which
had joined what they called the “infamous campaign to scuttle Nigeria's
hard-earned democracy by calling for the postponement of the general
election barely a week before the election is to commence”.
Speaking at a news conference in Abuja, on behalf of other parties, the
National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM), Alhaji
Bashir Yusuf Ibrahim, said: “This is not the first time desperate and
undesirable elements have come together to scuttle our democracy for
their selfish ends.
“We remember June 12, 1993 and the role played by these elements to
scuttle Nigeria’s democracy and the chain of events which ensued. It is
not surprising that the same characters are again at work.
“If Nigerians would look closely, they will realise these characters
are still around and have coalesced in the same political party, which
is now leading this charge to postpone the elections without credible
and acceptable explanations other than the fear of losing power for the
first time.”
He stated the displeasure of the coalition and condemned the attempt to
shift the polls in the strongest terms possible, saying this underhand
and undemocratic tactic is meant to plunge the country into anarchy.
Ibrahim stressed that the call for the postponement of the general
election was 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,” he added.
Also, one of the parties in the coalition denounced its purported endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan.
Deputy National Chairman of the Accord Party (AP), Sikiru Oke, said:
“Accord Party has not adopted Jonathan, though we are still talking, but
we say no to the shift of the election.”
A roll call of parties at the event yesterday included PDM, who was
represented by its national chairman; African’s People Alliance (APA),
represented by Samaila Umar Sifawa (National Secretary); KOWA,
represented by Alhaji Umar Mustapha (National Chairman); Mega
Progressive Peoples Party (MPPP); Social Democratic Party (SDP), who was
represented by Olu Falae (National Chairman); and African Democratic
Congress (ADC).
Others were Hope Democratic Party (HDP); Democratic Peoples Party
(DPP); United Progressives Party (UPP); and Accord Party (AP).
Joining in the agitation against the postponement of the elections were
some Abuja residents who came to the streets yesterday to protest,
insisting that the elections must hold as scheduled.
The protest, organised by the civic group, National Consensus Movement,
marched from the Unity Fountain, Maitama, to the Presidential Villa
junction, and called on the Chairman of the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, not to succumb to
pressure mounted on him by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to
postpone the polls.
The peaceful protesters were however stopped from proceeding towards the State House by armed riot policemen.
Several of the protesters carried placards with inscriptions: “No to
election postponement”, “Nigerians are ready for elections”, “On
February 14th we stand”, “Democracy must survive”, "GEJ, you claimed you
have improved power sector and built 200 roads, why are you afraid of
elections?”.
One of the protest leaders, Olatunde Daniels, told reporters that his
group would resist any attempt by the government to postpone the
elections, saying Nigerians are ready for the poll, and that no amount
of propaganda would make Nigerians allow the ruling party truncate the
nation’s democracy.
“We are against the planned postponement of the elections and we are
ready to sustain this protest to ensure that the elections hold as
scheduled,” he stated.
A participant, Mohammed Abdullahi, condemned the calls for the shift of
the elections and asked the government to reconsider its plan on the
issue.
According to him, INEC should be given all the necessary logistics and
financial support to conduct the elections, which he said should not be
postponed on any account.
Culled from Thisday
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