- Urges INEC to call him to order
- They have nothing to offer – PDP chieftain
By Umar Muhammad Puma, Abuja & Muhammad Ibrahim, Kaduna
The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday accused President Goodluck Jonathan of being lawless by prematurely kick-starting electioneering campaigns in defiance to the provisions of the Electoral Laws.
The party in a statement issued by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in London yesterday, urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to assert its independence by sanctioning Jonathan because no one should be seen to be above the law.
According to the party, Jonathan has exhibited gross abuse of executive power by leading his party to prematurely kick-start the campaign for the 2015 elections in violation of the law.
It accused Jonathan and his party of engaging in crass lawlessness by their serial violation of the country’s electoral law, under the guise of liberation, family or unity rallies across the country.
APC warned that if INEC fails to act, it loses any moral authority to stop other parties from also hitting the hustings ahead of time.
”Hiding under nomenclature, this President has led his party to engage in brazen lawlessness and shameless impunity. They have gained an undue advantage over other parties, or beaten the gun, in athletics parlance. Therefore, they should suffer the consequences of their action, the least of which is a strong public rebuke, to be followed by stipulated sanctions if they persist.
“If nothing is done to check this lawlessness, Nigerians should brace up for more in the days ahead. What example is the President laying by violating the law? What signal is he sending to Nigerians about the need to respect the laws of the land? When a President brazenly violates the electoral law under the guise of some rally, has he not started election rigging? Has he not already started compromising the electoral umpires and the security agencies?
“We know the President’s conniving handlers and advisers do not appreciate that a higher standard of conduct is expected of the President of Nigeria, through his statements, actions and body language. Unfortunately, everything points to the fact that the President, by his serial violation, is telling Nigerians and the whole world loud and clear that the coming elections will neither be free, fair nor credible!” APC said.
The party said when President Jonathan boasted in Enugu on Friday at the so-called Unity Rally to capture the South-east in 2015, he was engaging in electioneering, rather than reunification campaign.
APC advised President Jonathan to concentrate his energy on putting Nigerians back to work, ensuring the security of lives and property and stopping the massive looting of the common wealth under his watch.
”A President who cannot even commiserate with the families of innocent school children who were violently hacked down under his watch has no qualms about skirting around the scene of the dastardly act in the name of electioneering campaign. Yet he has the temerity to point accusing fingers at others. What a cruel irony!” the party said.
Meanwhile, a Kaduna based Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Alhaji Maikudi Tela, has said that the APC has nothing to offer Nigerians come 2015 election.
According to him, APC cannot defeat PDP in the election because most of the opposition members are lossers who cannot deliver anything good to Nigerians.
The PDP chieftain who is also the coordinator Goodluck/ Sambo Campaign Coordinator in the State disclosed this to newsmen at the weekend.
He said it’s also totally wrong for politicians in the country to ask President Goodluck Jonathan not to contest or seek re-election come 2015 because Nigerian constitution gave him the right to do so.
“The constitution did not stop President Jonathan and his Vice Namadi Sambo from contesting or to seek reelection come 2015. So it’s wrong for anybody to ask them not to contest since their administration is doing its best to better the lives of Nigerians,” he said.
On the chances of PDP come 2015, Tela said his party was not bothered with the emergence of APC because the party is never a threat inKaduna in particular and Nigeria in general.
He further commeded Governor Muktar Ramalan Yero administration for doing a wonderful job in transforming the state.
He added that all hands need to be on deck to ensure that PDP, as a ruling party, retains its position both in Kaduna and Nageria as a whole. The PDP chieftain also expressed readiness to support and ensure that PDP retains power both in Kaduna and Nigeria come 2015.
