The Inter Party Advisory Council, IPAC, has expressed concern over the rising tide of certain developments on the nation’s political space, which, if not urgently curbed, may compromise the conduct of free and credible 2023 general election.
In a signed statement made available to newsmen,Chairman of IPAC, Alhaji Yagbaji Sani said some of the challenges includes the brazen breach of the provisions of the Electoral Act and other extant laws on the use of money to induce voters.
This illegality manifested in the audacious display of humongous sums of money by aspirants during the primary elections, especially, the presidential primaries of some of the political parties. It was also displayed, with impunity, during the last off-season governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states.
Our concern is that, such criminal and anti-democratic tendencies may be carried into the general election and subvert our efforts towards having free, fair and credible elections that truly reflect the wishes of the electorate,he said.
Accordingly, the council also noted the disturbing spikes in the use of divisive languages and hate speeches by several chieftains and spokespersons of some of the political parties in the mass media and at political rallies.
“IPAC is worried that the reprehensible, irresponsible and reckless utterances which are already heating up the polity, could build-up to the even more dangerous effects of igniting mutual hate, animosity and violence among the populace along the nation’s existing tenuous fault lines”.
“IPAC is similarly worried and saddened by the widely reported incidents of violent physical assaults visited on opposition parties by yet to be identified or, apprehended perpetrators. An outstanding case in point is the reported recent attack unleashed against members of the PDP during a rally of the party in Kaduna”.
“We are fearful that, if the above unsavory happenings are a harbinger of what the nation will witness when the campaigns gain more steam or, during the elections proper, the country will be having anything but, free, fair, credible and acceptable elections in 2023”.
Also,the council is not comfortable with the emerging virulent stream of tirades, blackmail and smear campaign being directed at the leadership of INEC from various quarters.
While some faceless persons, according to reports from online and main media platforms, are “demanding a probe of the INEC Chairman” over allegations of financial improprieties, others want him urgently “suspended from office to allow for unhindered investigation” into his alleged sins,Sani noted.
“Though so far, largely in the rumour mill, IPAC is, all the same, apprehensive that, since there is no smoke without fire, the campaign might be a dress rehearsal or, a gauging of the water by reactionary and anti-democratic forces on a scheme of rolling back the progressive, landmark accomplishments of the nation’s electoral agency under the supervision of Professor Mahmood Yakubu”.
On the way forward,the council came up with the following recommendations including attempts distract the management of INEC from total concentration on the task of conducting credible and acceptable polls in 2023.
Sani said Professor Yakubu and his management team, has been steadily focused, diligent and on track in the performance of the agency’s statutory mandate. Therefore, INEC deserves from patriotic and honest key players in the nation’s democracy project especially at this point in the march to 2023, encouragement and support.
Also,IPAC vehemently, condemns and regard any plans and actions, practical or, surreptitiously through proxies, capable of unsettling INEC at this crucial juncture, as coming from enemies of democracy, peace and stability of the country.
The council insisted that deployment of technological devices, such as the BVAS and electronic transmission of results, is sacrosanct and an irreversible fait accompli. We are on the same page with INEC and all patriotic citizens who crave and are working towards having elections in which the votes of the electorate count.
On violence and hate speech, IPAC calls on the nation’s security agencies and other relevant bodies to gear up in the performance of their statutory responsibilities professionally and objectively. It is a sad and disconcerting fact that these agencies have so far, appeared complacent and complicit in the face of brazen breaches of the laws.
IPAC insists that no stone must be left unturned in tracking and bringing to justice, the perpetrators of recent incidents of politically motivated violence, assassinations, vote buying and ballot box snatching as witnessed in Anambra, Osun, Ekiti and Kaduna states among others.
IPAC reiterated its commitment to work along with all patriotic citizens and bodies engaged in advocating the deepening of the values and practice of truly representative governance, and will resist all attempts to scuttle the burgeoning democratic process in Nigeria.
