June 12: Buhari give us free and fair elections, group demands

Replace INEC chairman


Admits euphoria generated with the recognition of June 12 as Democracy day, the Pan Niger Delta Forum. Made up of southern and middle belt leaders ( PANDEF) has charged president Buhari to re enact the true spirit of June 12 by holding free fair and peaceful elections as 2019 elections draw near.

The chairman, PANDEF, Nkanga Indogesit made this call while addressing news men on Sunday in Abuja. The chairman in his speech observed that there are efforts to manipulate the result of the forth coming elections, called for the replacement of INEC chairman
" The choice if the chairman is very suspicious and in tandem with the narrative that they are poised to play partisan roles in favour of the incumbent.

The chairman noted that the relationship between the current chairman who is from the North East with the acting chairman when he became president, Anima Zakari, from North West is so strong and has the tendency to influence outcome of election.

"Our fear that the current INEC chairman may not be able to discharge his functions impartially because of hailing from the same region as the president is not unfounded.

"Only recently we saw the scandal if underage voters during the Local Government elections held in the North West state of Kano. Responding to the public outcry if the saga, the INEC chairman set up a committee to look into the violation if our law which stipulates that only 18 years can be registered to vote, the chairman has refused to release the report of the committee .

"We strongly demand the replacement of the INEC chairman with a man or woman of integrity from another Zone in order to restore public confidence in the electoral body as it prepared for 2019 elections".he stated.

The group explained it's only President Buhari that has been audacious to pick only people who are either his relationship or of the same ethnic stock with him to lead the electoral body. From 1960 till president Goodluck, a southerner who appointed Prof Attahiru Jega from the North West.

In the same vein, the chairman, PANDEF said the continous retaining of the service chiefs who ought to have retired of which majority are from a session is suspicious, as they are poised to play partisan role to the favour if the incumbent.

Worried that the country is plunging into a complete state of anarchy, with continous lawlessness, unprofessionalism on the part of the police and increased killings, the chairman called on president Buhari to to quickly del with the issues raised in the resolution by the joint executive session of the national assembly

" We are worried about the latest overheating if the polity as politics continue to overshadow governance in our country and proffessionalism is fast becoming alien in our country. The latest is the elastic tolerance of the growing purity of the Inspector General of police.

" It is on record that the OGP has defiled the authority of the president when he refused to relocate to Benue state to restore law and order. It is little wonder that the Nigerian police under him has become accumulated indication of source of anarchy. We are gradually rolling towards anarchy.

We have looked at the record of the IGP and we have not seen any outstanding performance that would make the president jeep such a man in an esteemed position. Discipline has been broken down under this IGP.

The chairman further explained that the growing intolerance of government to patriots who express contrary views to the distress if Government is another flashpoint anarchy. As in the case of T.Y Danjuma who exposed collision of military personnel with herdsmen and the recent attempt by the federal government to clamp former president olusegun in order to curtail his freedom for holding contrary political views against buhari' s government.

" We are in democracy contrary opinion must be tolerated"

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