Ekiti State Governor and Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
Governors’ Forum, Mr Ayodele Fayose. on Wednesday called or the immediate
resignation of former Senate President, Ken Nnamani as chairman of the
Electoral Reform Committee and allow a non-partisan person to take
over.
“If the federal government is serious about electoral
reform, Senator Nnamani, a card carrying member of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) won’t head the Electoral Reform
Committee,” the governor said.
For Fayose, there is nothing wrong with the country’s
electoral system.
According to him, “It was the same electoral system that
produced the present APC government of President Muhammadu Buhari, in
an election adjudged as relatively free, fair and credible. So what
happened to the system after May 29, 2015 that this present government
took over? How did we get to this level of inconclusive and
questionable elections in which the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) and security agencies appear to have become part of
the ruling party?”
In his presentation at the public hearing on constitution and
electoral reform held at Ogun State Cultural Centre, Abeokuta,
Governor Fayose said: “Even when it inherited a working system that
conducted elections adjudged as free and fair by local and
international communities, INEC has failed consistently to replicate
the inherited working system due to overzealousness and rabid passion
to work as appendage of the federal government.
“Imagine an election that is ongoing, only for INEC to postpone
counting of votes by midnight, with the party agents driven away. Any
result announced in the morning has lost any credibility and
legitimacy and cannot represent the will of the people.”
The governor, who was represented by the Chairman, Ekiti State House
of Assembly Committee on Information, Dr Samuel Omotoso pointed out
that “The only time this country made an attempt at a reliable
electoral reform was during the tenure of President Umaru Yar’Adua who
appointed retired Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mohammed Uwais as
the chairman. This singular move gave the panel credibility,
widespread acceptability and massive supports from all over the
country and across political divides.
“Such cannot be said of this panel that is overshadowed with massive
moral burdens and conflict of interest as a result of the chairman
being a card carrying member of a political party called APC.”
He said; “Senator (Dr) Ken Nnamani, being the South-East regional
leader of APC is incapable of rising above primordial and party
sentiments to give Nigerians anything different from electoral
inconclusiveness that we have at the moment.
“Any reform from such encapsulation can as well be said to be dead on arrival.”
Speaking further, Governor Fayose described INEC under the present APC
government as the champion of electoral malpractices, saying “INEC and
security agencies need to purge themselves of all these putrid
behaviours and face the reality of modern day democracy.
“As Governor of Ekiti State, I have no reservation about reviewing and
reforming our electoral process but I am reluctant about the sincerity
of purpose deploy each time we display such political hallucinations
under the guise of reforms, this has amounted severally to playing to
the gallery and this committee just like others that have embarked on
several wild goose chases in the past is not likely to be different.
“When those who are to supervise an election take over the process and
turn themselves to interested parties rather than rise above board,
then we breed nothing other than chaos, pandemonium, mayhem, confusion
and disorganisation of the whole process.
“We all know those who commit crimes during the elections but this
same people are protected using the police, who is supposed to ensure
orderliness and legal consequences for electoral infractions. The
police would rather arrest and prosecute the victims of electoral
malpractices and violence while releasing the actual aggressors due to
the relationship of these offenders to the government in power.
“The penchant for disorder by the umpire has got to a state of
obsessive compulsive disorder, in the sense that rather than ensure
sincerity of purpose within the system, what we have is deceit,
flippancy and double standards.
“Therefore, there is no gainsaying that this electoral review body is
not needed until the panel is equitable, non-partisan and devoid of
influence from the powers that be. He who comes to equity must come
with clean hands.”
