Politicians should allow election tribunals to work
ACN petitioners in Kwara and Benue States have continued to cry of plans by PDP chieftains in collaboration with the INEC officials to burn down the INEC offices in order to conceal deficiencies in ballot documents. And in another development, the counsels to the ACN petitioners in Akwa Ibom are crying foul about the uncooperative […]
Politicians should allow election tribunals to work
ACN petitioners in Kwara and Benue States have continued to cry of plans by PDP chieftains in collaboration with the INEC officials to burn down the INEC offices in order to conceal deficiencies in ballot documents. And in another development, the counsels to the ACN petitioners in Akwa Ibom are crying foul about the uncooperative attitude of INEC officials in that State. They complain of on-going falsification of documents. Reading The Nation newspaper of Saturday May 14, 2011, Nigerian Compass and National Life of Sunday May 15, 2011, the counsels to the appellants were being tossed up and down regarding what the Election Tribunal sitting there had given orders to; regarding release to the ACN governorship candidate, Udoedehe, for him to pursue his case against the monumental rigging allegedly went on during the poll. Forms EC17 (Oath of Neutrality) ought to have been filled by the INEC officials before the election were hurriedly being filled as at May 13; what an irony? INEC could not also provide the Form EC40C used for the election; while the head of Legal Department of INEC there said the Forms are in Port Harcourt, the head of Operations said they were scattered around different wards in the local government areas; what sort of thing is this? And what was Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Urban Renewal, Mr Emmanuel Enoidem doing at the INEC office at the material time those altercations was on?
The governorship candidate of the ACN in Benue elections, Professor Steven Ugba’s convoy was attacked few days back and one of his top aides was murdered in the process; Ugba was the target. Earlier in the week, the Benue ACN Chairman Comrade Abba Yaro was attacked in his home by suspected thugs of the PDP who asked him to surrender all the documents with which ACN intend prosecuting the Tribunal case. Similar alarm was raised by ACN guber candidate in Akwa Ibom, Senator Udoedehe, to the effect that his house and office were being targeted for raid in order to cart away some vital documents meant for the Tribunal. During the electioneering campaigns, Senator Akume and General Onoja were shot. Governor Suswan who is bugged down with forged certificate scandal case is being accused as the brain behind Benue crisis.
The parties involved in all this should allow the Election Petition Tribunal do their work unhindered.
Dr Julius Madaki, Shehu Close, Bauchi, Bauchi State
