Posted by By Willy Eya on
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has raised alarm over what it described as another attempt by some desperate persons to discredit its Chairman, Professor Maurice Iwu, after an earlier woeful bid, saying it is cheap blackmail.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has raised alarm over what it described as another attempt by some desperate persons to discredit its Chairman, Professor Maurice Iwu, after an earlier woeful bid, saying it is cheap blackmail.
A statement by the press secretary to Iwu, Mr Andy Ezeani, condemned the move which he said was being undertaken by persons who claim to be members of the Action Congress (AC).
The statement reads in part:
'The attention of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has be drawn to newspaper reports on the latest desperate adventure by some people using the platform of the Action Congress (AC) to pursue a fresh line of attack on the Chairman of the Commission, Prof.Maurice Iwu.
'According to the reports, individuals purporting to represent AC approached an Abuja court to pray that the appointment of Prof.Maurice Iwu as INEC Chairman be annulled as they have just discovered that the INEC Chairman apart from being a Nigerian also has the citizenship of the United States of America. The petitioners said the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Senate of the Federal Republic may not have known of this their new earth-shaking discovery. They therefore pray the court to help them sack Prof.Iwu and cancel all the results of the 2007 General Elections."
Ezeani continued that 'this one man-driven AC is asking the Federal High Court to do for it is to achieve through the back door what it has failed to achieve in the election petition tribunals. And where they cannot achieve the reversal they want, they are also asking the court to ensure that Prof. Iwu does not preside over the conduct of by-elections as have been ordered by various election petition tribunals…"
He flayed the move, saying: 'The Commission finds this latest expression of desperation and obsession most worrisome. And to imagine that some individuals who ordinarily would have been expected to be more reasonable are associated with this most frivolous and pathetic attempt to distract the society from serious issues…"