LG Polls: PDP Misundertood on SIEC - Bode George
By Idowu Sowunmi
National Vice Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for South-west, Chief Olabode George, has said the party has not directed any State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) to conduct elections but only advised such state in its own interest.
Apparently reacting to the statement credited to Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC) that PDP cannot dictate for the commission, George noted that PDP has not fixed a date for the elections for any person or commission "therefore it is wrong to say PDP ordered the commission to conduct elections. This is not our job. Recently, Federal Government said all those states that have not conducted the local government elections would no longer collect their revenue. Because it is against the law to start having people who are not elected to collect funds from the Local Government Allocation. So, it was in the interest of Anambra to hasten the elections."
He added that if ANSIEC chairman really read the "statement credited to the party, he would realise that we cannot direct them and we are not directing them. It is in their interest to do it as quickly as possible so that the benefits of democracy and good governance would reach the grassroots level."
On the continued withholding of allocation to the newly created local governments in the country, George stressed that it's "an illegality. Illegality in the sense that you can't work against constitution. Nigeria is not a jungle. You can't make laws to yourselves. This is not Banana Republic. If you look at the fourth schedule of the constitution, the list of all the local governments is there. You can't stay in your bedroom and say you have created this and that. That is not the way to run a country like Nigeria."
On the recent fear expressed by the Coalition of Nigerian Political Party (CNPP) that the country is moving to one party state, the national vice chairman observed that PDP has not prevented Nigerians from joining any political party, saying "let them go to the field and campaign to the people to join them. If we are having many people in the PDP's fold, it means PDP is doing well far better than what they are presenting. There has not been any law barring Nigerians from joining or contesting on the platform of any political party. The total number of people, who are card-carrying members, is so small in percentage compare to Nigerians who are not members of any political party."
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