Posted by By FRANCIS AWOWOLE-BROWNE, KINGSLEY OKEKE and EHI ONJEWU, Abuja on
Jolted by the outcome of last Saturday's governorship elections, the presidential candidates of the 23 opposition parties, including Vice President Atiku Abubakar and leadership of Action Congress (AC) reconvened on Tuesday in Abuja and rejected the governorship elections, even as they considered boycotting the presidential election.
Jolted by the outcome of last Saturday's governorship elections, the presidential candidates of the 23 opposition parties, including Vice President Atiku Abubakar and leadership of Action Congress (AC) reconvened on Tuesday in Abuja and rejected the governorship elections, even as they considered boycotting the presidential election.
The presidential standard bearers, who passed a vote of no confidence on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), alleged that the commission had shown clearly that it was an organ of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
At the meeting held behind closed doors, the candidates, it was gathered, had a heated debate on whether to boycott the election or request that the presidential poll be postponed till after the tenure of the present administration in May. They could, however, not reach a consensus over the matter and had to defer it for further discussion.
The candidates reviewed the governorship election and concluded that the perceived partisanship of INEC was too manifest and therefore, the result of the presidential election would not, in any way, be different from the governorship, hence the need to boycott it.
At a point, Atiku had to leave the venue, owing to ill health, when the meeting could not agree on what to do in the face of the outcome of the governorship elections in which the INEC had declared PDP as having swept the polls.
While some of the candidates favoured boycott, others were of the opinion that it should be shifted to allow the PDP government run out its tenure and have the presidential election conducted after May 29 handover date.
Both the Gen. Mohammadu Buhari and Atiku groups favoured a consensus candidate from among them. However, who should be the candidate became a bone of contention.
Leading the pack of those moving for postponement of the election was Professor Pat Utomi, who told Daily Sun that boycott would not help in the present circumstances as the INEC would go ahead and give the victory to PDP even when others did not participate.
He explained that postponing the election was a better option so as to allow President Obasanjo leave the scene on May 29 and thereafter have the election without interference from the presidency.
Buttressing his position, Professor Utomi, who also debunked the reports that he had stepped down in the race, argued that the issue at hand had to do with the credibility of INEC and not that of consensus candidate
In the vanguard of boycott were some candidates, led by Chief Emmanuel Okereke of the African Liberation Party (ALP), who stated that there were no two ways to it, adding that if the presidential election should hold under the prevailing environment, the PDP will be declared winner by the Professor Maurice Iwu-led INEC.
He pointed out that the way and manner INEC had conducted itself prior to the election, during, and after, had shown that it lacked capacity to conduct a free, fair and transparent election and there would be no need going into the presidential race believing that INEC would change or that the PDP would not rig it.
Though most of the candidates shared this belief, they could not adopt a common position, thus necessitating adjournment when all would have discussed with their respective party leaders and come back with a position.
In his own comments, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, said there was no way the opposition candidates could go into the presidential elections with the kind of partial attitude displayed by INEC in connivance with the PDP government.
He cited the situation in his Sokoto State, where his party lost to PDP, as an instance, saying military men were drafted to the state to intimidate and prevent the people from voting and help the PDP realize its rigging plan. He added that he was confined to his residence by the stern looking armed policemen and officers of the EFCC.