A report by Punch says the leadership of the ruling party has already mapped out strategies aimed at
ensuring that the election do not hold at the re-scheduled date.
The report claimed that the PDP was actually behind the new Young Democratic Party (YDP), a party that
came into the consciousness of Nigerians after itbwon a court case compelling the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) to re-print the ballot papers for the election so as to accommodatebthem on Wednesday.
The YDP had in a press conference on Thursday asked INEC to postpone the forthcoming generalbelection if it could not accommodate it on its ballot paper. The Federal High Court in Abuja had alsobordered the electoral umpire to register YDP as a
political party.
Speaking on behalf of the party, the NationalbPublicity Secretary of YDP, Mr. Ugo Nwofor, said, “If INEC does not have the appropriation for logistics for reprinting of its ballot papers then INEC ought to
within the constitutional provision further re- schedule the general election so as to accommodate our party.
“In either of the two options, our party is ready, itbhas been a long journey for YDP; we wish INEC would explore the first option.”
Moments after the press briefing, one of the leaders of the YDP was sighted at the national headquarters
of the PDP in Abuja, where he said he had come to confer with some of its officers.
In a confidential discussion with Punch, he was at the Wadata House to brief PDP chieftains on the
success of their legal work.
The next day, he told the publication on the telephone that they were planning a fresh legal option to compel INEC to comply with the court order.
According to him, “Recall that I was at the national headquarters of the ruling party in Abuja onbThursday where I met our partners. We are working together to move the nation forward and deepen ourbrenascent democracy.
“We have already fixed the dates for our convention and we would pick our presidential and other
candidates for the elections. We expect INEC to give us a chance as stated in the court order.
”
However, it was learnt that one of the strategies of the PDP is to head for the court and ask that the
presidential election be set aside, by pleading that YDP was excluded.
Efforts made to speak with the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Olisa Metuh on the issue
failed. He neither picked nor responded to a text message sent to him.
Meanwhile, the umbrella body of the Igbo nation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo (Lagos State chapter), has denied
the news reports that surfaced in the media recently, that they endorsed the presidential aspiration of the All Progressives Congress (APC)
presidential candidate, Gen.Muhammadu Buhari
Post a Comment