Parties differ over voting procedure, fault INEC over candidate substitution

[TGD]

BUT for the quick intervention of the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, the argument over the desirability or otherwise of the proposed accreditation of voters before voting as a component of next month's election would have degenerated into physical combat.

The forum was the fifth interactive session between INEC and the leadership of the 63 registered political parties, the last before the start of the general poll on April 2.

Meanwhile, the heat generated by the recent nomination process by political parties for the elections appear far from cooling down as a coalition of opposition parties yesterday wrote a letter to the     INEC accusing it of employing double standards.

But the Commission insisted that all its actions in respect of the nomination process were in accordance with the legal frameworks established by both the Constitution and the Electoral Act, 2010 as amended.

In reaction to the briefing by the INEC chief about accreditation before the actual voting, some political parties expressed reservations about the desirability of the exercise, noting that it would have been better if voters were accredited and immediately asked to vote.

The parties, under the aegis of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), said the commission had demonstrated double standards in accepting the nominations of candidates by the opposition parties in some states, obviously in favour of the PDP.

Representatives of the United Democratic Party (UDP); Better Nigeria Peoples Party (BNPP) and National Solidarity Democratic Party (NSDP) all argued against the pre-election accreditation. Their positions apparently enjoyed the support of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In arguing against the arrangement, chairman of BNPP, Godswill Nnaji and his NSDP counterpart, Udemba Chukwudolue as well as the National Secretary of the UDP, Godson Okoye argued that experiences even from established democracies of the world showed that it was better when voters come to the polling centres, get accredited, vote and move away.

They argued that it was time-consuming for a voter to arrive at polling stations at 8.00 a.m. and stay till about 4.oo p.m., before voting.

But the argument did not go down well with other party leaders, especially the national chairmen of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Victor Umeh; Progressives Action Council (PAC), Charles Nwodo and National Secretary of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Buba Galadima, who shouted their opponents down.

Galadima accused them of executing the agenda of the PDP, a comment that infuriated Chief Sam Ortom, National Auditor and Chief Uche Secondus, National Organising Secretary of the PDP, who rose to defend their party against the allegation.

As the hall became rowdy with both parties trading accusations over the matter and also highlighting the escalating violence spreading across campaign grounds in the country, Jega intervened and helped to restoring calm at the gathering.

While making the case for the accreditation, Jega assured that there was no rigid rule about the whole process, saying that if after accreditation a voter felt the need to leave the venue for urgent matters, he could do so, as long as he made it back before 12.30 p.m. when voting proper would start.

He said it was not compulsory that all voters must be at the accreditation venue at about 8.00 a.m. adding: "He or she could even come for accreditation at 11.00 a.m. or even 11.30a.m. so long as he/she is there before 12.00 noon.

Besides, Jega said the commission had gone too far in its preparations for the accreditation, hence it would not be logistically and economically sensible to stop the process, adding that on the balance, its advantages to the electoral process far outweighed the shortcomings.

In the letter dated March 18, 2011, signed by the National Secretary, CNPP, Willy Ezeugwu, and titled: "Protest against double standard on INEC's list: The case of Enugu, Anambra, Ogun, Katsina, and Kano," the parties submitted that the Commission disregarded its own rule and provisions of the Electoral Act 2010 in favour of the PDP in the handling of the candidates lists involving legislative and governorship elections in the states listed above.

The CNPP explained that despite repeated affirmation by the Commission that it would not accept any list of candidates emerging from primaries held after the January 15 deadline, which was underscored by the letter written to the political parties by the Secretary of the Commission, it still went ahead to accept PDP's lists of candidates who emerged from primary elections held after the January 15 deadline.

Buttressing its claim, the CNPP cited a case of the list of State Assembly and National Assembly candidates from the Enugu North Senatorial District of Enugu State comprising nine state Assembly constituencies, three House of Representatives and one Senatorial constituency.

"In the above case of Enugu North, the PDP clearly indicated as seen in the attached court process filed by the party in suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/81/2011 wherein the Commission is the second defendant, that it conducted the primary elections on January 20 and forwarded the list to your Commission, which you accepted. Same is applicable to the governorship tussle in Enugu.

"The conduct of the Commission is therefore unacceptable, unfortunate and a sad tale for our democracy. The indication here is that PDP is above the law and can do anything it wishes and other political parties are instruments used to make up the process", it stated.

Highlighting other states where they perceived INEC to have perpetrated illegality, the parties alleged that INEC violated Section 31 of the Electoral Act by filing names submitted by a factional state chairman in Anambra and rejecting names from the National Secretariat.

They also noted alleged untidy mix-up in Ogun State where the commission, according to them, sneaked in the name of the Speaker, House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, whereas INEC in Katsina and Kano rejected the governorship candidates of the Congress for Progressive Change from its national headquarters and filed in the names from a faction of the party.

"The list of inconsistency, double standard and deliberate manipulations are uncountable and the CNPP is highly worried that if nothing is done to rectify and reinforce the confidence of the people on the leadership of INEC, it means the high hopes raised when you were appointed will evaporate into the thin air and it will not augur well for the April polls," the group read.

The CNPP therefore called on Jega "to rectify the anomaly and resist unholy advice from those whose sole objective is to feather their own nest at the expense of his reputation. Following the due process remains the only step that should be taken by him if free and fair election would hold with every party having a level playing ground."



Source: Parties differ over voting procedure