Ihedioha: Edo PDP protests, seeks assent to amended electoral act

Osagie Otabor, Bénin

 

Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party on Thursday staged a peaceful protest in Bénin City urging President Mohammadu Buhari to sign the amended electoral act into law.

It said the protest was aimed at reinforcing last week nationwide protests which rejected the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Imo State governorship election.

Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Mr. Chris Nehikhare said the Imo State ruling was a clear misuse of judicial authority and a usurpation of the statutory duties of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Nehikhare stated that Nigerians have suffered undue hardship during elections because the processes, from the ballot box to the tribunal rulings were subject to manipulation, shrouded in secrecy and controversy.

He said it was critical to bring to the attention of the federal government of Nigeria and the governments of the United States of America, The United Kingdom, Germany, France, China and other members of the United Nations General Assembly, that there are no credible, free, transparent and fair elections in Nigeria.

He said there was a clear and present danger to the survival of democracy in Nigeria if the electoral laws and processes were not reviewed to suit transparent and open processes.

His words, “Especially in stand-alone elections, the type taking place in Edo in 2020, the APC federal government have reduced elections to battlegrounds where APC candidates are assisted with government apparatus to intimidate opponents, manipulate results and enforce illegality.

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“That the state of stand-alone and general elections conduct in Nigeria is dangerous and worrisome. When they are unable to introduce self written results at collation centers, induce voters with money and force voters to vote for them at the polling units.

“The Judiciary has become a rubber stamp of the executive to the extent that Nigerians now openly challenge the supremacy of the Supreme Court as the final arbiter of legal entanglements, and this is a recipe for anarchy if unchecked.

“We are calling on the Supreme Court to reconvene and review the ruling on the Imo State governorship election case, which was ruled in favour of Hope Uzodinma, who came 4th in the figures released by INEC, as the statutory commission empowered to conduct elections in Nigeria.

“We believe that only the people should be empowered to elect their leaders. The legalizing of the card reader will eliminate the absurd judgements where votes recorded surpass number of accredited voters and the law will turn a blind eye to this obvious anomaly. “