…says President, commission not ready for 2019 polls
The main opposition Peoples Democratic Party has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sign into law all amendments to the electoral law and to also endorse all the budgetary requirements of the Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure a free and fair conduct of the 2019 general elections.
The PDP argued that the early endorsement of all the funds needed by INEC would enable the commission to discharge its duty of an electoral umpire in next year’s polls without any let or hindrance.
PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbodiyan, told our correspondent that it was unthinkable that none of the amendments to the electoral acts had been signed into law by the President, warning that the party would not accept excuses by INEC if it failed to ensure justice in the discharge of its duty as an unbiased umpire in the 2019 polls.
He said, “The INEC budget is not the only budget he has not signed. The amendment to the Electoral Act, he has not signed it after it has been taken to the President twice before now. The Presidency has raised one form of excuse or the other or reasons for not signing it. How do we know the rules that will guide the 2019 elections at this time when our President has not signed it into law?
“We demand he signs every bill that is expected to guard the 2019 elections into law. Every bill, act of parliament presented to him must be signed now.”
Ologbodiyan added that no amount of funds allocated to INEC would be too much as long as it could justify its expenses.
“It is left to INEC to determine the cost required to achieve a free and credible election. We leave it at that; we do not want INEC to give us excuses about funding. We would support any amount considered to fund the election. The major concern is that the election must be free, fair and credible. To whom much is given, much is expected,” he said.
The PDP spokesman further said that the failure of the President to sign the amendments to the electoral law was a confirmation that the ruling All Progressives Congress was afraid of an impending defeat in the forthcoming polls.
“Except as we have claimed, he is not ready for the 2019 elections and the body language of the APC as well shows that they are not ready for the election. They are afraid of the looming defeat awaiting them in 2019. And because of that, they are not preparing for it,“ he said.
In the same vein, the Edo State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, enjoined INEC to conduct a free and fair election.
