…Fixes August 9 for test-run of e-registration exercise
Following the split decision of the Supreme Court faulting the majority decision affirming the election of Ondo state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has again called on Yobe state governor, Mai Mala Buni to resign his caretaker chairmanship of the All Progressives Congress, APC, describing it as a violation of both the ruling party’s constitution and the 1999 constitution (as amended).
Although the apex court affirmed the governor’s election on Wednesday, a split decision read by Justice Mary Odili disagreed, arguing that Mai Mala Buni as a sitting governor was wrong to have presided over the process that produced Akeredolu as the candidate of the APC
Addressing a press conference at the party’s secretariat, national publicity secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the split decision of the apex court is a vindication of the party’s position.
We insist that in line with the split decision of the Supreme Court judgement, there is no way that Mai Mala Buni as governor of Yobe state can also function as chairman of All Progressives Congress. That is totally an aberration of the doctrine and dictates as established in the All Progressives Congress constitution as well as the 1999 constitution (as amended).
“We insist that the process that led to the emergence of Gov. Akeredolu was and remains a violation of the APC constitution as well as the 1999 constitution. Section 183 of the 1999 constitution states that no governor should hold any other position in any capacity apart from the office of the governor. As you know, this was the major ground upon which we went to the Supreme Court,” he said
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Meanwhile, the publicity scribe announced August 9, 2023, as the test-run date for the online registration of intending members of the PDP.
He said: “From the information we have received from all our members, across the 36 states and across the 774 local governments, there is no where that we have received a report that they cannot carry out online registration.
“We are happy that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has come out to reveal that not less than one million Nigerians have so far participated in the continuous voter registration exercise of the commission.
“To us, these one million people constitute a referendum against the bad and maladministration of President Muhammadu Buhari as well as the All Progressives Congress, APC, because many of those who are registering now through the continuous voter registration exercise of INEC are people who have attained the age of 18, people who have never participated in the registration exercise before, young men and young women out there who are totally dissatisfied with the situation in which the All Progressives Congress has brought our country. These are the people who are currently engaging in the continuous voter registration exercise.”
While applauding INEC for the electronic registration of voters, Ologbondiyan urged Nigerians not to allow themselves to be discouraged from participating in a process that will bring about a credible government in 2023.
This is even as he accused the APC, of dissuading eligible voters from participating in the continuous voter registration exercise, even as he stressed that the ruling party is out to “write results, knowing that it cannot win in a fair, free and credible elections.”
(Vanguard)
