The National Chairman of Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Alhaji Yusuf Dantalle has called for scrapping State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), saying, “the sham called elections they conduct are deliberate assault on the nation’s democracy.
Dantalle spoke Thursday at the quarterly consultative meeting organized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja.
“Council will not fold its hand and allow this glaring perversion of the democratic process to continue. It is not just a coronation of the candidates of a ruling party in the state, it is daylight robbery of people’s votes and mandates for chairmanship and councillorship positions.
“In place of SIECs, the Council proposes that INEC should conduct all Local Government elections in Nigeria as it does for federal and state elections. There is no need to create another body to conduct Local Government polls.
“The National Assembly should not dissipate energy and resources in establishing any Local Government electoral commission, instead it should strengthen INEC to conduct all elections in the country,” he said.
He described the issuance of orders and counter orders, judgements and conflicting judgements by courts of coordinate jurisdiction as appalling.
“The Commission’s elections may not be perfect; they are far better and credible than the charades showcased by SIECs acting as rubber stamps of the governors who appointed them. IPAC is aware of crises in some political parties and inflammatory statements by politicians and public office holders that tend to overheat the polity.
“We re-emphasize the call on parties to always adhere strictly to their respective constitution and internal democracy. Council appeals to political leaders to also explore IPAC’s Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism (ADR) to address the protracted leadership disagreements in some political parties as enshrined in its Code of Conduct.
“As political Leaders, we must cultivate and promote the culture of resolving our own internal disputes as evidence of leadership capability; rather than over reliance on the Judiciary.
“It is time we stop using the judiciary to make a mockery of our hard-earned democracy. The issuance of orders and counter orders, judgements and conflicting judgements by courts of coordinate jurisdiction are appalling, as if justice is for sale. Enough of these provocative Judicial somersaults that have made mockery of our emerging democracy.
“This is also a wakeup call for urgent judicial reform that will sanction and flush out corrupt Judicial officers and restore the court as the Temple of Justice and the last hope of all aggrieved people,” IPAC leader said.
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