…Calls for alternative voting process for none PVC holders
The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has described the debate over whether or not the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega should be removed as diversionary and unnecessary.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos on Thursday, the National Chairman of the Party, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam stated that having heard President Goodluck Jonathan assure Nigerians that he had no intention of removing Prof. Jega, Nigerians should drop the matter and focus on the success ofb the elections.
Dr. Aniebonam however pointed out that the INEC Chairman may be removed if he was found wanting and it was proven beyond doubt that he was culpable adding that no one was above the law.
According to him,” if Jega has not done anything, there is no need for that. One, you have to know that nobody is above the law, even Mr. President; there is a process of removing a President. So, I don’t think we should be heating up the polity unnecessarily because it is uncalled for”.
“I think Jega has done his best, his best may not be enough, and so what we need to do is to pray for him to serve our country with all his heart and mind. If there is a need to change Jega, then there must be a proven case, there must be something to show why, not all these thronged up issues”.
“But for me, I don’t think we should be doing anybody any favour by removing Jega, I don’t want to believe it is going to help the system because it may be misconstrued but at the same time, if there is a proven case, if there is anything to the contrary, nobody is above the law and as long as you do anything for the interests of the greater number of the nation, then you are on it”.
On the use of the card reader for the upcoming elections, the NNPP boss observed that the card reader was supposed to serve as checks and balances adding that the problem people perceived with the use of the card reader was that of perfected abuse hence the need for its trial.
“The card reader, if it is to be used for what it is meant, it is a very good development because it will serve as checks and balances. But where we abuse the card reader, the card reader can be used to disenfranchise Nigerians”, he said.
Aniebonam who is also the founder of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) further hinted that if Nigerians want credible elections, it was Nigerians that would make it possible contending that the election was not about the INEC Chairman as himself and his management team had provided the card reader believing that it was going to be the best for the country.
On the distribution of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), Dr. Aniebonam had this to say,” PVC is part of the complain, some people are still saying that they have not gotten theirs; we should create an alternative as a fall back for those who don’t have PVCs. If you don’t have the PVC, you can use the other one to make people vote so that everybody will be given the opportunity to do what they are supposed to do”.
