INEC Can’t Impose Abacha on Us – CPC

Gov Chime, Masari names missing ln INEC list  ||  The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) has challenged the right of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to replace the name of Col Ja’afaru Isa, which was submitted to the commission, with that of Muhammed Abacha, as the party’s governorship candidate in Kano State.
The names of Governor Sullivan Chime and former Speaker Aminu Bello Masari were missing in the lists released by the INEC offices in Enugu and Katsina states yesterday.
The party has alleged that some of the candidates that have been listed by INEC as CPC candidates were alien to the party and that the electoral commission did not have the powers to substitute the names forwarded to it by political parties.
Speaking yesterday at an emergency meeting at the national secretariat of the party, the national chairman, Prince Tony Momoh accused the commission of trying to undermine the electoral process and said the attempt by INEC to pick candidates for parties would not stand.
Momoh said the list of candidates released by INEC to participate in the April elections, “included names CPC knew nothing about. They claim some of the names arose as a result of orders from above.”
He said, INEC chairman, Attahiru Jega knows better than to try and choose candidates for political parties, adding that, “there can never be any order outside of the court. INEC cannot tamper with the list we gave.”
Under sections 31 and 87 of the Electoral Act, Momoh said, ‘parties choose their candidates and nobody can undermine the choice unless a court order is gotten pronouncing otherwise.” 
Defending his party’s choice to submit the names of candidates other than the ones that emerged at the party’s primaries, Momoh said that some aspirants falsified their qualifications, abused due process and did things which were criminal in nature.
Internal democracy, Momoh said, “looks at all the issues; the reports of those that conducted the primaries, regulation, investigate and figures do not necessarily stand for the truth.”
He said aspirants knew that “anybody who uses thugs, money and abuses due process will be dealt with. It was in the guidelines. Nobody but those that conducted the elections has the right to announce results to the primaries. Yet some went to the radio, paid for adverts to announce that they have won.”
Momoh disagreed that party primaries were the only avenue through which political parties could pick their candidates saying other things have to be put into consideration.
The CPC chairman also denied that the talks between his party and the ACN were over or that Gen Muhammadu Buhari was too rigid in the talks, suggesting that it was not possible for Buhari to run under the platform of the ACN which did not elect him as its flag bearer.
He said, “It is not true that there was rigidity. Why else would we be talking for more than eight months? We should not play into the hands of those that do not wish us well.”
Meanwhile, the second term ambition of Enugu State governor, Sullivan Chime met a brick wall yesterday following the withdrawal of his name as the Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for this year’s general election  in the state by the INEC.
It could be recalled that the electoral body had yesterday published the list of successful governorship candidates of different political parties for the April election in Enugu State at its headquarters in Independence Layout and promised to dispatch the list of candidates for National Assembly and other elective positions in the state to their various constituencies for display.
But, there was tension and anxiety yesterday when the name of Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime and other governorship candidates of other political parties suddenly disappeared from the notice board where they were displayed.
As at  the time of filling in this report, the names of successful candidates for National Assembly and other position were yet to be displayed at their various constituencies before the withdrawal of the list by INEC.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after the development, the Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC in Enugu State, Chief Josiah Uwazuruonye said he was directed from the headquarters of the commission to withdraw the list.
“I was directed to withdraw the list. I was told by the INEC’s legal adviser to withdraw the list because of many court injunctions and rulings on some candidates. I was also told that the list was released in error. I did not see any court order; I did not even see the list of candidates. The parties and the court will resolve the problem. Already, we have a precedence in Omehia and Amechi” he stated.
Although Mr Uwazuruonye refused to disclose the party that he was asked to withdraw its candidates from the entire list, a source in INEC, Enugu, however told our correspondent on condition of anonymity that the electoral body withdrew only the name of PDP governorship candidate, Sullivan Chime but some unidentified persons suspected to be loyalists of the governor allegedly removed the entire list from the notice board of INEC in Enugu.
Reacting to the development, the commissioner for information, culture and tourism in Enugu State, Chuks Ugwoke said “We have heard such unconfirmed report but if it is true, then it is perhaps, in strict compliance with due process and full observance of the rule of law. 
It does not vitiate the irreducible fact that Governor Sullivan Chime was duly nominated by PDP and had since filled and returned his nomination form to INEC. We are quite certain that in the fullness of time, other legal issues will be sorted out and we shall all be witnesses to the final verdict and the corresponding commencement of other electoral activities.”

-Punch

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Posted by admin on Feb 9 2011. Filed under CPC (Congress 4 Progressive Change), INEC Politics, Party Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry