The Coalition of United Political
Parties (CUPP) has accused President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives
Congress (APC) of plans to frustrate the credibility of the 2019 elections.
The group, in a statement by
Ikenga Ugochinyere, its spokesman, said Buhari has deliberately refused to sign
the electoral amendment bill, 2018.
In September, Buhari turned down
the bill for the second time, asking the national assembly to revise some
clauses.
The national assembly had passed
the bill on July 24 and transmitted to the president on August 3.
CUPP wondered how Buhari, “who
had claimed to be a victim of rigged elections and how an improved electoral
process benefitted him in 2015 is now the greatest antagonist to free and fair
election”.
The group asked the president to
prove to Nigerians he is not cloned by signing the bill upon his return from
Poland.
“Many Nigerians do not believe
that the Buhari they knew in 2015 who declared that he belonged to everyone and
belonged to no one is the same person dividing Nigerians along 97% and 5% and
exhibiting the worst levels of nepotism in the appointment of heads of security
agencies,” the statement read.
“Hence, President Buhari’s best
way to prove to the Nigerians he spoke to in Poland that he is not cloned is to
come home as a true Nigerian leader and sign the 2018 amended Electoral Bill
into law.”
The group further alleged that
Buhari intentionally withheld assent to the bill to till the ECOWAS deadline as
an excuse for not signing the bill.
“We are also sad to say this to
you; that there is intelligence that the President has agreed with his kitchen
cabinet not to sign the amendment into law,” it said.
“We have been informed that after
several undue delays, the President is set to communicate the National Assembly
anytime from today that he would not be able to sign the amendment due to the
existence of Article 2 of the ECOWAS Protocol on democracy and good governance
which prohibits countries from making Electoral Act amendments less than six
months to elections unless there is consent of the political parties.”
CUPP also raised allegations over
a purported plan by the APC to pre-load the card readers for the 2019
elections, and that there is an alleged plan to destabilise the elections in 10
states including Edo, Rivers and Benue.
It also alleged the
politicisation of security agencies, while passing a vote of no confidence on
Ibrahim Idris, inspector-general of police.
The group said Buhari had
exhibited the worst levels of nepotism in the appointment of heads of security
agencies.
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