Opposition Senators yesterday drew the battle line with their colleagues in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the appearance of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega on the floor of the Senate.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) senators told newsmen that the appearance of Jega “is a PDP agenda.”
They insisted that rather than invite only Jega to brief the lawmakers, the security chiefs should have been invited alongside the INEC boss since Jega took the decision to shift the polls based on a letter from them.
The APC senators also accused the PDP of planning to scuttle use of the card reader machine.
They contended that the card reader would not be used for the election. Rather, it would be deployed for accreditation purposes only.
Minority Leader, George Akume, led his members to address newsmen on the matter while the Tuesday plenary was still ongoing. Akume, alongside Senators Bukola Saraki, Domingo Obende, Kabiru Marafa, Babafemi Ojudu, Babajide Omoworare and Jummai Aisha AlHassan, argued that if war-torn countries like Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan could conduct elections, Nigeria had no excuse not to do so.
Besides, Akume contended that since countries like Ghana, Serria- Leone used card reader machines for their elections, Nigeria should not be an exception.
“We have over 774 local government areas in this country and serious security breaches, 14 local governments in the North East are registered therefore, there was no reasonable ground to shift the elections.
“We recall that in 1999, there was no election in Bayelsa State during the first round of voting; elections were later held.
“We are all learned people, educated people to know that elections have been held in Columbia, which is perpetually at war with itself; elections have been held in Egypt, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Mali, Tunisia and other countries. Nigeria cannot be an exception.
“Yesterday, the reason given was lack of adequate distribution of PVCs, later, it turned to inability to provide security cover and we wonder that the multi-national force that has been assembled to fight Boko Haram is just 7000, including the Nigerian troop and we have a troop level of over 100,000 in this country.
“Why is it not possible to hold elections with adequate security cover for those who are supposed to do their jobs constitutionally?
“We believe that there is serious manipulation and a deliberate attempt to undermine and to manipulate the democratic institutions and structures. There is no country in the world whose leader can sit down and do what we are doing here, to undermine our democracy. That is tantamount to treason.
“We have nothing like Interim Government in our constitution and of course, there is nothing like coup in our constitution and therefore, we must do the right thing. The president himself has sworn to protect this country and therefore, where he is going wrong, he must be corrected.
“Elections must be held as rescheduled, it is important that INEC must do this in order to avoid unpleasant consequences. Nigeria is a huge and complex society, culturally, structurally, and all hands must be on deck to avoid the Somalia experience. There would be too many war lords in this country should we fail to do what is right. Nigerians deserve the best.
“Card readers will add value to the conduct of the elections; we are talking about free and fair elections. Time has passed when people carry ballot boxes and papers to their respective rooms, thumb-print and the following days; we have senators, we have members of the House of Representatives, we have governors and we president.
“The whole world is watching this county. We have become a laughing stock, we are becoming a Banana Republic! If we don’t have troops to provide security cover, it is appropriate to say that we have troops who can intimidate, harass, embarrass and humiliate members of the opposition.
“It has happened to the national leader of our party and a governor under our party platform. The fact that we are in the opposition does not make us any security risk. We are even more patriotic than those who are in government. We want elections and card readers must be applied, they must be used, otherwise, the elections can never be free and fair. If this country called Ghana can get it right, using the card reader, why can’t the giant of Africa do it? If Sierra Leone can do it, even Liberia, why can’t Nigeria do it?
“We are waiting for INEC to do it, INEC must it. Card readers are a must to ensure free, credible, acceptable elections. To do otherwise, won’t be acceptable…”
