• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Learn from Ghana, US for credible 2023 election, PDP tells INEC Chair

Top party chiefs quietly conceding a presidential election run-off now most likely

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has counseled the reappointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to learn from Ghana and United States on how to conduct free, fair, transparent, and credible general elections.

The PDP advised him to use them more than two years ahead of the 2023 general election to rejig the electoral commission and work out legislations and operational rules that would guarantee a credible electoral process.

The party noted that the Ghana electoral commission was making more room for a more all-inclusive electoral process by the kick-starting special voting system to enable personnel of critical service providers to cast their ballots days ahead of the December 7 election date.

The PDP advised the INEC Chairman to study how the United States credibly conducted a keenly contested 2020 Presidential election without recourse to government influence and use of a security to suppress the wishes of citizens as expressed at the polling units.

A statement by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, urged the INEC Chairman to engage political stakeholders for legislation, rules, and field procedures, so as to curb violence, ensure the security of electoral materials and guarantee the safety of voters.

The statement said, “The INEC Chairman should initiate processes and procedures that will guarantee prompt arrival of ballot materials, rapid accreditation, and voting; the instant transmission of results from polling units as well as seamless collation of figures.

“Our party demands Prof. Yakubu to improve on legislation that restricts the involvement of security agencies in voting and collation processes, check underage and alien voters, vote-buying, alteration of results, and manipulation of the voter register.

“The PDP urges Prof. Yakubu to pursue an amendment to the electoral act to make it mandatory for INEC to publish voter register online, thus terminating the doctoring of the register and accreditation process.

“It is, therefore, instructive to restate that with the new appointment, Prof Yakubu has been given an ample time and opportunity to redeem the image of the commission and give our nation a credible election that will be devoid of the failures, disappointments, miscarriages, and litigations that characterized his first five years tenure.

“Our party urges the reappointed INEC Chairman to note that the 2023 general election will hugely impact on the fate of over 200 million Nigerians. As such, he must ensure that the nation does not go down in his hands.”