The Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, has lampooned President Muhammadu Buhari for his statement on election shift saying the statement showed him as a dishonourable, lying, desperate despot scared of impending defeat.
It also alleged that the President was planning to suspend the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Mahmood Yakubu, from office.
CUPP Spokesperson, Imo Ugochinyere stated these in separate statements in reaction to the election shift and President Buhari’s response to it.
He noted that Buhari was pained because he didn’t get staggered election after his government’s security forces sabotaged election materials distribution.
“Your Air Force called off pilots midair into distribution. Your Central Bank locked strong rooms midway into distribution of electoral materials, your security forces aided bandits to steal supplied materials.
“You used Amina Zakari to compromise about eight Federal Commissioners to support your plan to conduct staggered election. Your security forces looked the other way while your supporters burnt INEC offices and card readers.
“Despite the mayhem, your government and security forces unleashed on INEC, you wanted the election to hold with only 50 percent state ready and thinking that INEC will give you staggered election.”
Ugochinyere posited that though INEC failed Nigerians, the commission disappointed the president more by refusing staggered election
CUPP warned President Buhari to take a bow and leave the stage or risk having the same fate as President Kabila of Congo on Saturday February 23 2019.
“Bow your head in shame, Mr. President.
The fate of President Kabila of Congo awaits you. In case you don’t know, after burning down Congo’s electoral body’s offices and materials, Kabila’s party was defeated.”
In another statement Ugochinyere also alerted that the President had also pencilled down Amina Zakari for appointment as the Acting Chairman citing her experience as the oldest and most experienced National Commissioner of the Commission.
He alleged further that the President was planning to use the excuse of inability to hold the Saturday election as a reason for the imminent suspension.
The group condemned President Buhari for feigning ignorance of the real reasons behind the shift in his statement on Saturday and did not have just a word for the shameful and despicable actions of security forces and the central Bank staff who in obedience to Presidency directives deliberately sabotaged the distribution of sensitive materials in selected states.
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CUPP noted that his hurried return to Abuja from his home state, Katsina is to sack the INEC boss. “But this should be resisted by all well meaning Nigerians and the international community.
“The sin of the INEC Chairman is that he refused to conduct staggered elections that will allow the President and his men to manipulate the process.
According the group, the Presidency had mounted pressure on the Commission to conduct election on Saturday in states where there were no issues and postpone only the states with materials distribution issues. The INEC Chairman insisted on conducting the election at the same time hence warranting the postponement of the entire election.
“We hereby warn President Buhari that the position of the INEC Chairman is independent, hence, he cannot be removed from office via suspension. The 1999 Constitution in Section 157(1) states that the Chairman and members of the Commission may only be removed by the President acting on an address supported by two-thirds majority of the Senate that the person be removed for inability to discharge the functions of the office (whether arising from infirmity of Mind or body or any other cause) or for misconduct.
“We are aware that the government itself sabotaged INEC’s distribution of materials and he is turning around to suspend the Chairman of INEC illegally.
“We are warning that any attempt to sack or suspend the INEC Chairman will only lead to electoral and constitutional crisis. The nation is still grappling with the illegality and unconstitutionality of the removal of the Chief Justice of Nigeria and we won’t allow the President to go down this ignoble path again.”
