Political parties, under the umbrella of Inter Party Advisory Council, IPAC, yesterday, bemoaned the rising cost of living in the country, saying the development was largely responsible for the increasing cases of voter apathy during elections.
IPAC’s National Chairman, Yusuf Dantalle, stated this in Abuja at the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC’s fourth quarterly consultative meeting with leaders of political parties.
The parties also urged stakeholders to “stop using the judiciary to make mockery of our hard-earned democracy.”
In his remarks, Dantalle said: “After 25 years of unbroken democracy, the state of the nation is sour. Nigerians are disillusioned. The rising cost of living and political tension have dampened citizens’ morale in the electoral process resulting in low voter turnout in elections.
“Citizens’ participation in elections is critical for sustainable democracy as power resides in the people. The need to create an environment conducive for successful elections, political stability, economic growth and public safety cannot be overemphasized.
“IPAC urges governments at all levels to improve the people’s well-being in tandem with Section 14(2)b of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), which provides that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government. Urgent steps should be taken to ameliorate the hardship millions of Nigerians are facing today. This will spur their political participation that will give more credence to the electoral process.”
According to IPAC, Nigerians expect INEC to improve on the forthcoming Governorship Election in Ondo State.
The council urged stakeholders in the electoral process to join in voter education, sensitization and mobilization to ensure a free, fair, transparent, inclusive, and peaceful election that will meet international standards.
Dantalle said the commission is required to put its act together, provide adequate electoral materials, test run its BVAS and IReV portal to avoid undue technical hitches and glitches that will cast doubts on the integrity of the election.
He said the issue of late arrival of election materials to some polling units must be addressed to reinforce confidence in the polls.
He said: “Equally important is effective communication by the commission’s officials particularly during the collation of results to avoid suspicion of manipulation of results as it happened in the Edo State governorship election where some politicians stormed the collation centre to know why collation of results was suspended. Nigerians, indeed, the entire world expect transparency in the conduct of elections.
“Security agents, election observers and the media have critical roles to play in ensuring the success of the poll. They are urged to discharge their duties with utmost responsibility and patriotism.
“Vote trading has been the bane of most elections in Nigeria. Security agents should apprehend and prosecute vote buyers and sellers and their sponsors to face the full weight of the law.
“We must sanitise the electoral process to stimulate increased restoration of trust that will encourage citizens’ participation in elections.”
IPAC also reiterated its demand for the scrapping of the State Independent Electoral Commissions, SIECs, saying the sham called elections conducted by SIECs are deliberate assault on the nation’s democracy.
“Council will not fold its hands and allow this glaring perversion of the democratic process to continue. It is not just a coronation of the candidates of a ruling party in the state, it is daylight robbery of people’s votes and mandates for chairmanship and councillorship positions.
“In place of SIECs, Council proposes that INEC should conduct all Local Government elections in Nigeria as it does for federal and state elections. There is no need to create another body to conduct Local Government polls.
“The National Assembly should not dissipate energy and resources in establishing any Local Government electoral commission; instead it should strengthen INEC to conduct all elections in the country.”
The commission’s elections may not be perfect; they are far better and credible than the charades showcased by SIECs acting as rubber stamps of the governors who appointed them.
Dantalle said: “IPAC is aware of crises in some political parties and inflammatory statements by politicians and public office holders that tend to overheat the polity.
“We re-emphasise the call on parties to always adhere strictly to their respective constitution and internal democracy.
“Council appeals to political leaders to also explore IPAC’s Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism (ADR) to address the protracted leadership disagreements in some political parties as enshrined in its Code of Conduct.
“As political Leaders, we must cultivate and promote the culture of resolving our own internal disputes as evidence of leadership capability; rather than over reliance on the judiciary.
“It is time we stop using the Judiciary to make mockery of our hard earned democracy.
“The issuance of orders and counter orders, judgements and conflicting judgements by courts of coordinate jurisdiction are appalling, as if justice is for sale.
“Enough of these provocative judicial somersaults that have made mockery of our emerging democracy. This is also a wake up call for urgent Judicial reform that will sanction and flush out corrupt Judicial officers and restore the court as the Temple of Justice and the last hope of all aggrieved people.”
VANGUARD
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