PDP demands transparency in appointment of electoral officers

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organisation (PPCO) on Thursday called on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) , Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to ensure that the process of appointing electoral officers for the conduct of the elections was transparent in order to make the outcome of the Polls free, fair, credible and acceptable to all stakeholders.

Addressing newsmen in Abuja yesterday, the Director of Media and Publicity of the Campaign Organisation, Mr Kola Ologbodiyan declared that now that the Commission has started the process of appointing electoral officers for the conduct of elections at various levels, it must ensure absolute transparency. ‎

The PPCO  also insisted that members of the Buhari Media Group (BMG) and other All Progressives Congress,  APC support groups, hiding under the N-Power programme of the Buhari administration, must not be allowed to participate as electoral officers in any capacity and at any level in the general elections.

According to the Party, “our party also insists that no university Vice-Chancellor or lecturer, who, at any point in time has manifested or expressed any form of partisanship, should be allowed to participate in the electoral process”.

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It further insisted that names of all electoral officers at all levels must be made public ahead of the elections, for all stakeholders to assess the neutrality of such officers in their respective
constituencies.

According to the Party, “We invite the INEC Chairman to note that we are aware that Mrs. Amina Zakari, President Muhammadu Buhari’s relation by marriage in INEC, is already coordinating compromised lecturers and other partisan individuals that will pander to her ploys to manipulate the Presidential election

“The PPCO, therefore, demands that the process must be checked and conducted with strict compliance with the assurances of the INEC Chairman, that it will be credible and transparent

“It  is important to state that our party is not in the arena of conflict with INEC but as a political party and critical stakeholder in the 2019 elections, we have the responsibility to point out pitfalls that can endanger the electoral process and lead to a slide into chaos

“The PDP is a responsible political party, our members, followers and teeming supporters cut across all the 120,000 polling units in our nation. The PDP, therefore, is a major stakeholder in the 2019 general election and even beyond

“As such, INEC should stop engaging the PDP and other political parties as if we are enemies. The commission must consider all propositions and objections pointed out by the PDP and other opposition parties as measures that will foster free, fair, transparent and credible elections

“The PPCO notes that since the INEC Chairman, has said that Mrs. Amina Zakari has no role in the collation of results, we consequently restate our demand that she be exempted from any form of electoral role in this elections

“Already, the public space is filled with the insistence that, given the confession by President Muhammadu Buhari that Mrs. Amina Zakari is his relation by marriage, she must, as a matter of necessity, be exempted from any electoral function in order to avert a conflict of interest bordering on partisanship

“We call on the United Nations, the European Union and all democratic institutions across the world to rise and appeal to the INEC Chairman to in the interest of peace exempt Amina Zakari from the exercise, as any election conducted with her participation in INEC cannot be anything credible

“The PPCO restate that the PDP and our Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, as well as all our candidates in all the elections at all levels are ready and set for the elections

“Our Presidential candidate is vigorously campaigning across the nooks and crannies of our country consolidating on the consensus already attained by Nigerians across the divides to elect him as the next President of our beloved country, following the failures, manifest incompetence and corruption of the Buhari administration

“All that the PPCO demands from INEC is a credible, free, fair and transparent process in which results must reflect the wishes and aspiration of Nigerians at the elections. The participation of Amina  Zakari in the process cannot guarantee this”.

The Party insisted that anything short of a free, fair, clear and credible election would not be acceptable, not only to the PDP but also to the entire nation.