APGA accuses INEC of double standards in crisis

by Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North
…As pro-Jonathan groups warn govs to face region's problems and forget 2015…
ABUJA — The attempt by influential Northern leaders to rally support
for a consensus presidential candidate to replace President Goodluck
Jonathan in 2015, has backfired, leading to the emergence of sundry
groups flaying the leaders for trying to dictate to them on the way to
go politically.
The crack in the north came barely twoweeks after the Northern Elders
Forum,the Arewa Consultative Forum and three other groups had met in
Kaduna and resolved to coalesce into a Joint Action Committee with a
view to ensuring the emergence of President in 2015.
Under the plot, which was confirmed to Vanguard by the Secretary of
the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, the six groups
had accepted to retain their identities, but to work as a team with a
view to stopping Jonathan's return to the top post.
According to Abdullahi, the move was deliberately initiated to bring
the six groups under one umbrella for easy mobilisation and control as
the race to the Villa gathers momentum.
But barely two weeks after the meeting, some northern groups
sympathetic to Jonathan, have opposed the NEF and its allies in the
north, saying that they did not have the right to dictate to them who
becomes the President of Nigeria in 2015.
Apparently drumming up support for Jonathan's re-election, the groups,
noted that the North had never lined up under any particular candidate
and would not be forced to do so in the next election.
One of the groups, which calls itself, Coalition of Concerned Northern
Youths, CNY, said in Abuja, yesterday, that its members were concerned
overthe role of politicians in the north particularly governors, who
seem to have taken it upon themselves to decide for others who gets
the presidency in 2015.
Mohammed Danjuma, who signed the document in his capacity as the
National Chairman of the CNY, warned the northern governors to stop
meddling into the choice of a president for Nigeria in 2015 but to
concentrate on their mandate to provide service to the down-trodden
masses in the region.
"As concerned youths, we have found it necessary to state that the
governors of the North were not elected to be traversing every nook
and cranny of the country in chartered jets for their own personal
agenda instead of tending to the constitutional responsibility for
which they were elected in the first place.
"We have not only found this behaviour not only appalling but also
repulsive, especially when the North iscurrently suffering from the
devastating effect of insecurity, misrule, endemic poverty caused
mainly by the lukewarm attitude of the leaders of the zone, who have
always taken it upon themselves to tackle problems in other states
leavingtheir home in disarray.
"It is because of these developments that we call on the governors to
take urgent steps to concentrate on developing their states instead of
wasting task payers' money on movingaround the country."BY PETER OKUTU
ABAKALIKI—THE All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, weekend, accused
the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, of contributing
to the crisis that had plagued it for a long time.
It accused the commission of double standard in matters affecting the
party,arguing that APGA wouldn't have been in court, if INEC had
performed its constitutional function to the letter.
In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr.
Bernard Akoma, APGA called on INEC to ratify its 2011 national
convention heldin Awka, Anambra State, as any action to the contrary
might spell doom for candidates who would want to run for election on
the platform of the party.
Obi: I didn't create the crisis and Umeh: I will do my party job
He said: "It never said that the convention of APGA in 2011 which was
the issue in contention was properly conducted according to its
constitution. The judgment simply leaves INEC with an opportunity to
do its job in this regard because it monitored the convention.
"The truth remains that APGA would not have been in court if INEC had
performed its constitutional roles in APGA as it has done to PDP. It
is the double standard approach of the Commission that has left APGA
where itis today.
"If the party can remain in crisis, it will not muster the strength to
present a common front for elections. If, however, the party is able
to wriggle out and win election anywhere, the opposition parties will
have enough ground to nullify the election in court because APGA
candidates may not claim to have been nominated by validly elected
organs of the party according to the party constitution.
"The issue therefore is why has APGA convention which is in total
violation of the party guideline for congresses and convention become
acceptable to INEC. If INEC is sincere why has it raised that anomaly
only in PDP leaving APGA to remain in crisis.
"It has been revealed that INEC continuous recognition of that
convention is to ensure that the party loses the forthcoming election
in Anambra state and subsequent ones. Itis a double approach plan by
INEC"
"The ostrich game being played by theIndependent national Electoral
Commission, INEC in the protracted crisis rocking the All Progressives
Grand Alliance, APGA has been identified as one of the several
measures designed to consign APGA into irrelevance.
"The electoral body rather than step out boldly to perform its
constitutionalfunctions of monitoring internal democratic mechanisms
of political parties have to pretend in the case of APGA and instead
decided to take side with a faction of the party in order to keep the
party into perpetual crisis.
" The same INEC has failed to release toMaxi Okwu since May, 2013
certified true copy of APGA congresses at the wards, local government
and states monitored by the commission in 2011 which is a clear
evidence that there was no congress of APGA from the wardlevel to the
state monitored by INEC in 2011.
"Should any list emanate for INEC now on that regard, it will only
reinforce a grand plan to keep APGA in perpetual crisis."