The Nigeria Rescue Movement (NRM) presidential candidate, Alhaji Usman Ibrahim Alhaji, says the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigeria Police could pose considerable danger to the success of 2019 general elections.
The candidate, who stated this after securing the party’s ticket in Abuja, observed that the performances of the two crucial agencies in recent electoral exercises left much to be desired.
According to the aspirant INEC has neither been convincing in its conduct of election nor able to arrest the growing trend of vote-buying by political parties across board.
He said the police for instance have failed to be the role of unbiased defenders of the people lamenting that a situation where the police aided a particular to perpetrate electoral fraud while at the same manhandling supporters of other parties clearly is worrisome.
“The conduct of the INEC in the two recent governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun States respectively is serious cause for concern.
The INEC was far from being an unbiased umpire as it tended to favour the ruling APC in practically all situations.
“In the vein, the Police have shown in the two exercises as well that it cannot be counted to be on the side of the electorate but a wing of the ruling party.
Should these two bodies continue they would represent serious threat to free, fair and equitable conduct of the election in 2019.
“If we put all these into consideration then one can only say ‘sorry for Nigeria’ and indeed it leaves sour taste in the mouth because it is Nigeria’s democracy that will be at the receiving end in 2019”, he said.
Meanwhile, the candidate has selected Onwa Nwafor Orizu as his running mate in the 2019 presidential duel.
According to him, his selection of the son of First Republic Senate President, Nwafor Orizu was an expression of the NRM’s broadmindedness and belief in one Nigeria.
