A Civil Society has called on the Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasiru El’Rufai and Amina Zakari to drop their rigging plans in Kogi governorship election and allow the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to function transparently.
This was contained in a press statement issued by Mallam Umar Khalid, Coordinator, National Democratic Front (NDF) on Tuesday.
The statement read thus, “As the day draws nearer towards the Governorship election of Kogi and Bayelsa States, the hope, permutations and expectations of the people of the concerned states are getting higher most especially when political party campaigns is about kickstart.
“With the latest ugly development coming from the angle of Kaduna State Governor, Mall. Nasiru El’Rufai, who also doubles as Chairman APC National Campaign Council for Kogi, where it boasted yesterday at a meeting in Kaduna with Mrs Amina Zakari, INEC National Commissioner that he will do everything humanly possible to circumvent the planned transparent efforts of INEC towards it preparation and mandate to deliver credible and transparent election in Kogi and Bayelsa states.
“Governor El’Rufai at the meeting in Kaduna, yesterday, with Mrs Amina Zakari along side some top APC government functionaries boasted that he will influence and manipulate INEC which will afford him and other APC Governors assigned for Kogi election to import Electoral Officers (EOs) from some identified states, namely Kaduna, Jigawa and Nasarawa states.
“The Kaduna state governor was said to be relying on Mrs Amina Zakari, a highly connected INEC National Commissioner who will perfect all the strategies thereby giving ways to rig, rob and subvert the will of the people.
“As civil society group who have monitored electoral processes in the last few years both in Nigeria and some other countries, we believe in adherence to rules of practice anchored on democratic norms and ingredients which have propelled credible, free, and acceptable election anywhere in world.
“We have seriously observed that Governor El’Rufai was appointed by his party to lead campaigns, we do not understand when such mere party assignment translate into been an electoral umpire with desperate intentions to ambush all INEC preparations and promises to deliver fair election to the people of Kogi State in particular.
“Consequent upon the revealed plans, we call in the revered INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to rise above partisan pressure and undemocratic collaboration and use Kogi and Bayelsa election as well as other bye-election or rerun slated along side, as improvement template, and perfect all the lapses on the so many shortcomings that featured in the 2019 polls.
“We wish to state clearly that, as a body which serves as the EYE of the masses, we shall be watching, observing and monitoring all events as it unfold in relation to Kogi in particular and Bayelsa state, including all the rerun elections.
“It is therefore, imperative for INEC to use this election to prove to Nigerians and the world that the commission under Prof. Yakubu is actually and genuinely working for improvement, credible, free, and fair election away from the past. It is equally on record that few weeks back, INEC at a stakeholder meeting in Lokoja, Kogi State capital, assured all parties that it will conduct an acceptable standard of election with a lot of improvement which will serve as corrections to some identified flaws from the 2019 general election.
In the light of this, we urge INEC to be impartial and not to allow the dubious template of election riggers to fly, as this could grossly undermine the credibility of the planned election and heighten unwarranted political tension.
“Finally, we urge candidates and political parties to conduct issue-based campaigns. We also enjoin stakeholders to eschew violence, thuggery and avoid acts capable of creating apprehension or sense of panic before, during and the after the elections.
