10 Political Parties Kick against Shift in Polls, Abuja Residents Protest

Chuks Okocha in Abuja
With no resolution reached at the Council of State meeting on whether the general election would take place as scheduled or be postponed, a coalition of 10 political parties on Thursday kicked against the postponement of the polls, alleging that those who scuttled the June 12, 1993 general election had coalesced again and were about to re-enact the situation for their selfish ends.

The parties, under the aegis of Coalition of Progressive Political Parties (COPP), expressed shock at the conduct of 16 other parties which had joined what they called the “infamous campaign to scuttle Nigeria's hard-earned democracy by calling for the postponement of the general election barely a week before the election is to commence”.

Speaking at a news conference in Abuja, on behalf of other parties, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM), Alhaji Bashir Yusuf Ibrahim, said: “This is not the first time desperate and undesirable elements have come together to scuttle our democracy for their selfish ends.

“We remember June 12, 1993 and the role played by these elements to scuttle Nigeria’s democracy and the chain of events which ensued. It is not surprising that the same characters are again at work.

“If Nigerians would look closely, they will realize these characters are still around and have coalesced in the same political party, which is now leading this charge to postpone the elections without credible and acceptable explanations other than the fear of losing power for the first time.”

He stated the displeasure of the coalition and condemned the attempt to shift the polls in the strongest terms possible, saying this underhand and undemocratic tactic is meant to plunge the country into anarchy.

Ibrahim stressed that the call for the postponement of the general election was a call orchestrated by one of the political parties, which has continued to invest huge sums of money to ensure the elections do not hold as scheduled, out of fear of losing power for the first time since 1999.

“Our democracy has come of age and Nigerians are ready for change, we will not allow desperation and power mongering to scuttle it and will do whatever is necessary to defend it and ensure that the general election holds as scheduled,” he added.

Also, one of the parties in the coalition denounced its purported endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Deputy National Chairman of the Accord Party (AP), Sikiru Oke, said: “Accord Party has not adopted Jonathan, though we are still talking, but we say no to the shift of the election.”

A roll call of parties at the event yesterday included PDM, who was represented by its national chairman; African’s People Alliance (APA), represented by Samaila Umar Sifawa (National Secretary); KOWA, represented by Alhaji Umar Mustapha (National Chairman); Mega Progressive Peoples Party (MPPP); Social Democratic Party (SDP), who was represented by Olu Falae (National Chairman); and African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Others were Hope Democratic Party (HDP); Democratic Peoples Party (DPP); United Progressives Party (UPP); and Accord Party (AP).

Joining in the agitation against the postponement of the elections were some Abuja residents who came to the streets yesterday to protest, insisting that the elections must hold as scheduled.

The protest, organised by the civic group, National Consensus Movement, marched from the Unity Fountain, Maitama, to the Presidential Villa junction, and called on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, not to succumb to pressure mounted on him by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to postpone the polls.

The peaceful protesters were however stopped from proceeding towards the State House by armed riot policemen.

Several of the protesters carried placards with inscriptions: “No to election postponement”,  “Nigerians are ready for elections”, “On February 14th we stand”, “Democracy must survive”, "GEJ, you claimed you have improved power sector and built 200 roads, why are you afraid of elections?”.

One of the protest leaders, Olatunde Daniels, told reporters that his group would resist any attempt by the government to postpone the elections, saying Nigerians are ready for the poll, and that no amount of propaganda would make Nigerians allow the ruling party truncate the nation’s democracy.

“We are against the planned postponement of the elections and we are ready to sustain this protest to ensure that the elections hold as scheduled,” he stated.

A participant, Mohammed Abdullahi, condemned the calls for the shift of the elections and asked the government to reconsider its plan on the issue.

According to him, INEC should be given all the necessary logistics and financial support to conduct the elections, which he said should not be postponed on any account.