•Hands off polls, IPAC warns political merchants

By Daniel Abia, Davies Iheamnachor and Luminous Jannamike

PORT Harcourt— Rivers State chapters of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the All Progressives Congress, APC, have joined forces to protest the upcoming local government elections scheduled for October 5 in the state.

This came as the Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, cautioned political merchants against meddling in the upcoming LG elections, scheduled for October 5.

IPAC’s National Chairman, Yusuf Dantalle, who addressed journalists in Abuja, yesterday, underscored the necessity of conducting the elections without interference.

In Port Harcourt, the protest, which began at 7:45 a.m., saw members and supporters of both parties converge at the PDP Secretariat close to the popular Leventist Junction.

The protest is against Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s insistence on proceeding with the polls amidst ongoing lawsuits court orders and counter-court orders halting the process.

Recall that a Rivers State High Court had okayed the LG polls, as it ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to give the voters register to Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, for the conduct of the polll.

But a Federal High Court in a conflicting ruling, restrained the INEC, from giving the RSIEC the voters register.

Recall also that INEC had on Wednesday said it was yet to give RSIEC the voters register, but RSIEC countered and said it applied and got the voters to register before the court cases.

The Rivers APC’s Caretaker Committee Chairman, Tony Okocha, and the PDP’s state Chairman, Chukwuemeka Aaron, had alleged that the election process was tainted by illegality and that their parties would not participate.

However, Governor Fubara remained resolute, declaring the election “sacrosanct” during a meeting with the IPAC, at Government House on Wednesday.

The protest led by the two parties proceeded towards Azikwe Road, chanting under heavy security presence and protection.

They marched to the State Office of the DSS and Rivers Police Command to drop their protest letter.

Hands off Rivers LG Polls, IPAC warns political merchants

Meanwhile, Dantalle appealed to the new Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman of the National Judicial Council, NJC, to investigate and sanction errant judicial officers, citing concerns about the judiciary’s role in consolidating democracy.

The council reiterated its proposal to the National Assembly to abolish State Independent Electoral Commissions, SIECs, and have INEC, oversee all local government elections.

He called on the Inspector-General of Police and relevant security agencies to provide adequate security for the smooth conduct of the Rivers LG polls.

IPAC stated, “Nigerians are united in their desire to foster sustainable democracy and development and will resist any attempt to subvert, truncate, or destabilize our hard-earned democracy. It is time for Nigerians to stand on the side of sustainable democracy.

“Elections are the essence of democracy, particularly at the third tier of government, which is closest to the people. LG elections must be supported and encouraged by all advocates of representative governance in Nigeria. It is time to deepen democracy at the LG level. Therefore, political parties in Nigeria will participate in the Rivers LG elections on Saturday, October 5. It is our civic right.

“For democracy to thrive, there must be a level playing field for all parties and their candidates. We maintain that it is inappropriate to change the rules and goalposts in the middle of the game or take undue advantage of fellow contestants. Electoral integrity cannot be compromised for any reason. Elections cannot be halted by judicial fiat in favour of political actors, jobbers, and hirelings pursuing their ambitions.”

“It will be unfair, unjust, and unacceptable to repeat this national nightmare at the LG election level as seen in Rivers State, where some reactionary forces are determined to stop the elections scheduled for this weekend. Unfortunately, there have been conflicting court orders for and against the LG elections in the state and forum shopping by desperate politicians.

“The integrity of the judiciary is at stake as the temple of justice and bastion of democracy. The Rivers LG elections present an opportunity for the judiciary to purge itself of political influence and justify the confidence Nigerians have in it. IPAC calls on the new CJN and Chairman of the National Judicial Council, NJC, to thoroughly investigate and sanction errant judicial officers. This will go a long way in redeeming the battered image of the judiciary in its handling of political matters, especially elections at all levels.

“The will of the people as expressed in the ballot must be respected. All states that have yet to conduct LG elections should expedite action to do so. We will continue nurturing democracy and deepening its roots to yield benefits for the long-suffering citizens who desire and deserve the dividends of democracy to alleviate the economic hardship the country faces today.”

Above all, the umbrella body of all political parties noted that RSIEC had assured that the elections would be free, fair, credible, transparent, peaceful, and inclusive, stressing that political parties have submitted their nomination forms and complied with guidelines