Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), the umbrella body of all the registered political parties in the country has lent its full support to the position of the Rivers State Governor, Simi Fubara, that the Saturday, October 5 (tomorrow) local government election in Rivers State is irrevocable and, therefore, must go on.
IPAC’s intervention came against the backdrop of two conflicting orders issued by courts of coordinate jurisdiction, one (an Abuja high court) against the election, the other ( a Rivers State High Court) in support.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja on Thursday (yesterday, October 3), National Chairman of IPAC, Mr Yusuf Mamman, said that parties and candidates had since submitted all necessary documents and are ready for the polls, emphasizing that IPAC is solidly behind the election and remains committed to deepening democracy and upholding democratic values, ethos, ethics and ideas in the quest for a better society.
“The Rivers State Independence Electoral Commission (RSIEC) has scheduled to conduct Local Government elections in the state on Saturday, October 5, in all the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.
“Political parties have since submitted their nomination forms and complied with the guidelines and regulations for the conduct of the election and assured it would be free, fair, credible, transparent, peaceful and inclusive.
“Be assured that political parties and their candidates for the positions of Chairman, deputy chairman, and councilor have prepared and are ready to participate in the election as scheduled.
“There is no going back in this critical exercise that will further deepen the nation’s democracy at the grassroots level,” he said.
Mamman said that IPAC would continue to strive to build an endurable democracy, strengthen democratic institutions, and create an environment conducive for the conduct of credible elections.
He said the body would work to ensure political stability and judicial reforms as court orders and judgments have far reaching implications and consequences for the survival of democracy in Nigeria.
Mamman said that election is the beauty of democracy, particularly at the third tier of government, which is nearest to the people, adding that local government elections must be supported and encouraged by all lovers of representative governance in Nigeria.
“It is on this note that IPAC backs the Rivers State local government election and all other elections across the country,” he said.
Mamman frowned at some political actors seeking court judgment to stop the elections, saying that it will lead to a repeat of the dark days that led to the events of June 12, 1993.
He said as a major stakeholder in the democratic process, IPAC would not fold its hands and allow political merchants to trade away the nation’s hard-earned democracy using the judiciary as a cover.
“By issuing conflicting orders and judgments, the judiciary has become a tool in the hands of powerful individuals to undermine our emerging constitutional rule.
“The integrity of the judiciary is at stake as the temple of justice and bastion of democracy,” he said in the report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
