Ahead of the 2019 general elections, the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) South South/South East zones, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to ensure the conduct of free and fair elections next year.
The body strongly warned against any form of political thuggery, vote buying and other forms of electoral malpractices allegedly witnessed in some of the states where elections have so far been conducted.
These were contained in a communique read at the end of a two-day conference by IPAC South-South/South-East zones with the theme: ”strengthening regional democracy through inter-party dialogue” held at the Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort, Uyo Akwa Ibom state.
The communique partly read, ”IPAC South South / South East zones calls on INEC to remain and maintain the un-bias status of the institution as they conduct the forthcoming general election in 2019 and beyond.
”The conference condemns in entirety and warns against any form of political thuggery, vote buying, ballot box snatching, and all forms of electoral malpractices being perpetrated in the zones.”
Chairman of the communique drafting committee, Dr Anthony Clarke, who read the communique said the conference resolved to institutionalize inter-party dialogue in the two zones to secure sustainability as well as strengthen democracy between the two zones.
Also, the conference condemned the infiltration in the zones by marauding herdsmen, and called on President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently find a lasting solution to the menace.
”Killings in Nigeria is not only concentrated in the middle belt but in the South South/ South East. Many parts of the zones have been overtaken by these armed men who have continued to maim lives and destroy properties of people. We urge the president as a matter of urgency to look into the matter and put a stop to this menace. Sometimes they say the herdsmen are from Libya and outside the country, our question is; what is the immigration doing to checkmate the infiltration of these hooligans and killers?’’ it queried.
The conference further advocated for a restructuring of the country and the entrenchment of true federalism in the nation, noting that the people in the South-South and South-East zones were mostly affected in the present structure of Nigeria.
However, the conference while expressing support for state police, called on the federal government to shun political witch-hunting against the people of South-South/ South-East, saying, “We call on the federal government to desist from the prevailed political witch-hunting of the worthy sons and daughters of the zone.’’
The conference also expressed dissatisfaction over the inequitable distributions of democracy dividends and the decay of critical federal infrastructure in the zones.
“Now in the area of infrastructure, the two geo-political zones are not fairly treated in the distribution of infrastructure in Nigeria. For instance, the east-west road which is critical to the economic buoyancy of the zones have been politicized, from Benin to Calabar, the state of work there is very abysmal, then you talk about other federal roads in the south south and south east, they are in the state of disrepair: Umuahia Ikot-Ekpene, Aba Ikot-Ekpene, Enugu Portharcout Expressway,” it concluded.
Comments