Doubters of INEC’s credibility afraid of defeat- COP3


The Coalition of Progressive Political Parties (COP3), has taken a swipe at the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and others that have disparaged the integrity and credibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) saying that they were afraid of being defeated in a fair contest.

The COP3, which expressed deep concern over some of the utterances of those that have doubted the integrity of the INEC, said such deliberate sowing of the seed of doubt in the minds of Nigerians was unjustifiable.

In a release signed by its Publicity Secretary, Agbor Major, the COP3 said it viewed with “deep concern the unprovoked and unjustified disparaging of the INEC and its preparations for the 2019 general election by people whose motive is, at best, suspect but who, from their utterances, appear to be afraid of the possible outcome of the election which is only a few weeks away.

“We are concerned about the mass hysteria being created by otherwise respected statesmen and the apparent priming up of the nation for possible post-election crisis or, even violence.

“We disagree completely with those who question the sincerity, credibility and resoluteness of INEC and the patriotic disposition ofits leadership to deliver free, fair and transparent elections inFebruary and March 2019.

“We wish to let the nation know that from 2010 when Prof Attahiru Jega came on board as INEC chairman to date, the Commission has maintained a tradition of robust engagement with all
Nigeria’s registered political parties in the preparations for each and every election in the country through regular consultativemeetings and the forthcoming general election is no different.

“As we approach the 2019 general election, this robust engagement had become even more intense with civil society organizations, the media, donor agencies, and other stakeholders brought to the table as well. Before now, this level of transparency had not been the case. Certainly, Nigeria’s elections are getting better with each election since 2010”, he said.

The coalition thumbed up for the zero-interference policy of the federal government in the affairs of INEC, noting it as ‘a breath of fresh air from the repugnant and sordid past history of the Commission, especially from 1999 to 2010’.

Further, the COP3 said it was “appalled by the poor quality and lack of intensity of the campaigns of some political parties and their candidates. Fake news, malicious
propaganda, incitement and threats of violence characterize their campaigns at this point in time.

“We appeal to all political parties and their candidates to live up to the pledges they made to the Nigerian electorate and the various peace accords they signed to conduct themselves peacefully without the threat or the actual resort to violence”.

Leave a Reply