Posted by By Tunde Thomas on
Former Head of State and Presidential candidate of All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, in the last election, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, have been described as true-democrats for ignoring appeals from Northern State governors and other prominent Nigerians to drop their on-going litigations against the victory of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua during last April general elections.
Former Head of State and Presidential candidate of All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, in the last election, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, have been described as true-democrats for ignoring appeals from Northern State governors and other prominent Nigerians to drop their on-going litigations against the victory of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua during last April general elections.
Describing those calling on Buhari and Atiku to let Yar'Adua be as enemies of democracy, the All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP House of Representatives candidate for Ikeja Federal Constituency, in Lagos State during the last general elections, Barrister Abayomi Akin Omoyinmi said Buhari and Atiku should remain steadfast and continue with their appeals against Yar'Adua at the Supreme Court.
'Why should Buhari and Atiku withdraw their petitions against Yar'Adua. There is no reason for anybody to appeal to these two leading lights of democracy to withdraw their case. Let the matter go to the highest court in the land for adjudication. There is no way democracy can move forward in Nigeria if we begin to bring all manner of sentiments into this issue, which is of utmost national importance," he declared.
Omoyinmi, who described the northern governors' action as being parochial, said the issue of the contentious presidential elections is a national one, which should not be narrowed down to a sectional affair.
'It is not only in the North that people voted for Buhari and Atiku. In the same manner, if elected into office, Buhari and Atiku are going to be president over all Nigerians. It is for this reason that Buhari and Atiku should remain resolute. They should not be distracted until the Supreme Court makes its final pronouncement on the issue," he stated.
The legal practitioner called on the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Maurice Iwu to resign his post immediately.
According to him, based on the number of election nullified across the country, it is glaring that the INEC boss had failed and therefore, he should quit office.
'If Iwu is a man of honour, he has no reason to stay in office again. But again this is Nigeria where public officials that have failed still sit tight in office. Iwu should be a man of honour; he should go," he declared.
He said that if the INEC Chairman refused to quit, the National Assembly should not hesitate to give him the boot.
The former ANPP candidate further suggested that a truly independent electoral commission should be put in place to replace the current INEC.
'From the failure of last general elections, it is obvious that the time has come for INEC to go, and a new electoral body set up to conduct subsequent elections in the country," he stated.