Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has said that the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) was messing up democracy in
Nigeria with its handling of elections under the President Mohammadu
Buhari led All Progressives Congress (APC) government.
The governor, who described the postponement of the Rivers State rerun
elections and the alleged manipulation of the Imo North Senatorial
election as another dangerous signal of what to come in 2019, asked
how an INEC that could not conduct elections conclusively in just one
State will be able to conduct elections in the entire country in 2019.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Special Assistant to the
governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the
governor reiterated his fear that “democracy in Nigeria is being
threatened by INEC and this should call for national and international
reflection.”
He said; “Lovers of democracy in Nigeria and the entire world should
be worried that after conducting inconclusive elections in Rivers
State in March this year, INEC postponed conclusion of the elections
twice.
“INEC had on June 20 after a meeting with relevant stakeholders, fixed
June 30 as new date for the conclusion of the poll.
“However, the electoral commission postponed the elections for the
second time, claiming reports of violence, and one wonders how INEC
will be able to conduct elections in 36 States and the Federal Capital
Territory in 2019 if it has not been able to conclude elections in
Rivers State in four months!”
Speaking further, the governor said President Buhari should be
worried that since he assumed office, all elections conducted by INEC
ended inconclusive, adding it should be clear to the President and his
party men that absence of free, fair and credible electoral process is
a direct invitation to anarchy.
He said; “Nigerians had thought issues of violence, ballot snatching
and electoral fraud had been put behind them only for it to be brought
back frontally by the Buhari’s government.
“President Buhari should ask himself if he would have been elected if
the system then did not allow free and fair elections. INEC Chairman,
Prof Mahmood Yakubu should also be worried if there would have been
an INEC to head if the 2015 elections had been inconclusive.
“I therefore appeal to the APC led federal government not to destroy
the legacy of near credible electoral process bequeathed on Nigeria by
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government.
“The APC led federal government should allow for a system that will
make Nigerians to be able to elect their leaders freely.”
