……….asks Yakubu to resign over APGA crisis
Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, Secretary-General of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has tasked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against truncating the will of Nigerian electorates as he called on the nation’s electoral umpire to ensure no section of the country is given an undue advantage in the continuous registration and Revalidation of Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) being conducted across the states of the federation on the basis of ethnic, political and religious leanings.
This comes on the heels of the recent call for extension of the continuous registration and revalidation exercise for Permanent Voters Cards, and also, the recent order of an Abuja High Court which restrained INEC from ending the exercise on June 30th.
Isiguzoro, while reacting in an interview with AFRIPOST on Saturday in Umuahia, the Abia state capital, regretted the hitches being experienced by the eligible Nigerian citizens from the inception of the registration exercise, and also asked INEC to ensure all qualified Nigerians are captured in the ongoing electoral process to enable them to perform their civic rights in the forthcoming elections now the majority of populaces in the nation yearns for responsive and effective leadership in Nigeria.
He reminded the electoral commission that, injustice, insecurity, ethnic succession agitations and other myriads of challenges ravaging the Nigeria nation call for change of baton of leadership at all levels, noting also that the current mood of the electorate is the enthronement of purposeful, peoples-oriented and development-oriented governments in the country.
Isiguzoro also warned against shortchanging people of the southeast and south South of the Igbo extractions in the ongoing registration exercise for permanent voters cards but to ensure all eligible populaces in the two geopolitical zones are completely captured in the current electoral process ahead of the 2023 elections.
The Secretary-General further warned that any tendency contrary to the demand for transparency in the registration and revalidation of the voters’ cards amounts to disservice and total sabotage of the Igbo nation, as all citizens are vested with the constitutional rights to participate in the selection of those to lead them to foster and enhance the needed socio-economic and Infrastructural growths and development in the regions and entire nation.
Asked to speak on the demand by critical stakeholders in Nigeria’s electoral process for the resignation of the INEC officials by the main opposition parties and socio-cultural and political groups in Nigeria over alleged malpractice and display of incompetence, Mazi Isiguzoro backed the call for resignation of the chairman of the electoral commission, Yakubu Mahmoud and the spokesman, Festus Okoye, and also regretted the internal leadership crisis rocking the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and berated the Independent National Electoral Commission for its alleged refusal to obey the ruling of the supreme court which affirmed Edozie Njoku-led National Working Committee (NWC), as the substantive national chairman of the party.
He frowned the undemocratic practices of some disgruntled elements t who are displeased by the apex court’s decision unambiguous affirmation of Njoku, as the APGA national chairman, appealing that the leader of the party and the Governor of Anambra State, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, to intervene in the leadership power tussle to ensure its success in the upcoming general election in 2023.
Isiguzoro explained that despite receiving the certified true copy of the supreme court’s judgment which was delivered by Justice Mary Ukaego Peter-Odili, the Independent National Electoral Commission had decided to follow the path of illegalities and protecting certain interests. Such development is capable of leading to unavoidable political crises and doubling with the total extinction of the progressive party in Nigeria’s political landscape.
“Court has affirmed as lawful and binding the 2019 national convention of All Progressive Grand Alliance held in Owerri, Imo State, which elected Edozie Njoku as National Chairman and other members of the National Working Committee (NWC) as officers of the Party.
“I would want to use this medium to call for the resignation of the INEC chairman and Festus Okoye, based on the several calls by civil society organizations and opposition parties. The apex group in Igbo land is demanding for probe of the allegations raised by the proponents of the calls”, he submitted.