Posted by By Joe Nwankwo, Abuja and NANA AHMADU, Lagos on
As controversy continues to trail the planned verification of candidates claims for the 2007 elections slated to commence today, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has warned the candidates of the Action Congress (AC) to appear before the panel or forget the elections.
...As party backpedals
As controversy continues to trail the planned verification of candidates claims for the 2007 elections slated to commence today, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has warned the candidates of the Action Congress (AC) to appear before the panel or forget the elections.
The warning is coming even as the National Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande yesterday directed all AC's candidates across the country to go for the screening exercise.
Speaking to newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja, the Commisssion's National commissioner in charge of Logistics and Transport and Chairman of the verification team, Emmanuel Uchala stated that when the team, visited Plateau State, they looked at the certificates presented by 190 candidates and that out of the number, five were found to have problems. According to him, 'the AC should appear before the verification panel or forget the elections, I will act on points of law, if any candidate refuses to submit himself to the rules, he should forget the elections, the law is very clear.
'Of the five that had problems in Plateau State, a lady in one of the old parties, who attached only a school certificate and one had no document at all, the beauty of it is that where there is a problem we draw the attention of the parties, and every decision taken by INEC is not final they could be challenged in court. Nobody raised any petition about any candidate in Plateau. We verified 20 governorship candidates, 13 senatorial and 131 House of Representatives and state House of Assembly candidates," he added.
It would be recalled that the leadership of the A C had on Monday directed its candidates for the polls to boycott the INEC screening nationwide on the grounds that the planned screening exercise by the Commission was unconstitutional and that the exercise was only created to humiliate its presidential candidate, Vice President Atiku Abubakar. But reacting to the planned screening exercise, the Presidential Candidate of the All Peoples Liberation Party (APLP), Chief Emmanuel Okereke stated that the exercise was a step in the right direction, as according to him, it would rid the polity of people with shady and questionable background coming into government to loot the treasury.
According to him, 'in the past we have had a situation where armed robbers, people with questionable character and people who are in advanced fee fraud also known as 419 come into government and once they get that political power, they carry on with their nefarious activities, they loot the nation's treasury and we had witnessed under development in the past but when only credible persons are allowed to run for elective offices the nation would witness an unprecedented growth in terms of development.
'I would even advocate for a situation where the State Security Service (SSS) and other security outfits are allowed to be part of the exercise, this will make for the emergence of credible people in positions of authority in this country, we must chase thieves out of the system."
Speaking with journalist while on a visit to the Lagos State governr, Bola Tinubu iin Ikeja yesterday, Chief Akande said the candidates so far approved by the party are people of proving integrity that has nothing to hide.
He said, if on the long run, the INEC is not straight forward in the discharge of its constitutional duties, the party will protest within the law .
He also allayed the fear that the possible disqualification of vice president Atiku Abubakar as the AC presidential candidate might create a vacuum in the party.
According to him, the party has over 40million members and credible presidential candidate could still emerge after consultation, with the vice president.
‘I can assure you that within one hour, we will consult come out with a replacement if the possibility arises,' he stated.
Akande said he was not around when the decision was taken not to appear before INEC but we don't have any reason fear because law is not on INEC side to screen out
Anybody."
'We will show an example of lawful action to the INEC because we are ready to play along with INEC because our party will reject anything that is unlawful," he said