The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to monitor the national convention of
the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The APC national convention is scheduled for March 26.
The electoral body is mandated by law to monitor the
congresses of political parties without which the elected officials will not be
recognised.
The opposition party said the APC is defunct having been
operating without a national working committee (NWC) since 2020.
In a statement on Thursday, Debo Ologunagba, PDP
spokesperson, described the planned convention as a “jamboree being organised
by the defunct APC in the name of a National Convention”.
“The PDP forewarns that INEC would be going outside its
statutory mandate under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
1999 (as amended) and the Electoral Act 2022 by attending or monitoring the
purported APC National Convention,” the statement reads.
“INEC, being a government agency set up by law, that also
draws from the budgetary allocation of the country with respect to
superintending over electoral processes and management of political parties,
can only superintend over and monitor bodies over which it has the mandate to
supervise. This presupposes that any such body must be legally operating as a
political party under INEC rules and guidelines.
“The APC, having been defunct on December 8, 2020, when it
dissolved its National, States as well as Local Government structures ceases,
in the eyes of the law, to be a political party and as such cannot be subject
of INEC’s regulations with particular reference to its supposed National
Convention.
“For emphasis, the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention
Planning Committee (CECPC) was established for the singular purpose of
organizing the APC National Convention in 2020. The Committee violated the
Constitution and the Electoral Act by engaging in party administration,
conducting congresses to produce officers at the various state Chapters as well
as delegates for APC National Convention.
“In any event, the CECPC by its composition with a state
governor, H.E Mai Mala Buni as Chairman is illegal and unconstitutional by
reason of Section 183 of the Nigerian Constitution which bars a sitting
governor from holding “any other executive office in any capacity whatsoever.
“In going beyond its mandate, the CECPC acted ultra vires
and all administrative acts purportedly done or deemed to have been done by
this Committee are null and void and void ab-initio.
”To this effect, delegates to the APC purported National
Convention produced by congresses conducted by the CECPC are at
best-handicapped delegates with leprous fingers who cannot deliver any vote to
produce a valid and legal political leadership for the APC. INEC should
therefore not waste public resources to monitor a jamboree that would be of no
legal or electoral effect under our laws.”
The PDP added that those contesting election on the platform
of the APC “are on a voyage that leads to nowhere”.
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