The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), yesterday, accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of undue interference and being biased in the party’s internal leadership crisis
The party also advised the INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, to look into the alleged attendance of the Commission’s staff to a convention by the party’s splinter group, even when the Commission was served with the court notice challenging the illegal convention
A statement by the NNPP’s National Secretary, Oginni Olaposi Sunday, insisted that the INEC chairman must fish out the colluding staff and ensure that he or she was punished.
It noted that INEC must remain neutral in the NNPP’s internal crisis as required by law.
“Without prejudice to the integrity, honour and leadership of the INEC chairman, we are using this medium to remind him that the successes and otherwise of the electoral processes in Nigeria largely depend on the level of quality of leadership of the commission under his watch.
“It is trite to note that INEC as a commission has the mandate to regulate and control electoral processes in Nigeria, in accordance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and electoral guidelines.
“This shall be without prejudice to the partial autonomy and independence of political parties to regulate and control themselves in accordance with the party’s constitution.”
The party emphasised that the courts, including the Supreme Court of Nigeria, had made several pronouncements in relation to the liberty and authority of political parties on matters of self regulation and control of its affairs, administration and management.
“And for the record, the federal high courts in Awka, Anambra State and Abuja, have said that the crisis in the NNPP should be resolved internally by members.
“We regret to note that Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso and others expelled from our party have been deceiving the public that the NNPP under the leadership of Major Gilbert Agbo lost in the various cases.
“One begins to wonder how the pronouncements of the courts that the NNPP leadership crisis is an internal matter of the party translate to loss?
“The Federal High Court has jurisdiction over the party’s constitution to give direction. We have approached the Court of Appeal in that regard to demand for a clear statement as to how the internal crisis can be resolved and who does it.
“According to it, under the constitution of the NNPP, it is the mandate and responsibility of the founder and members of the Board as the conscience of the party, to take responsibility and resolve the internal crisis.
“The court has to say so to add impetus and force of law to it to enable resolutions. Regrettably, the Federal High Courts were not able to do so in the various judgments.
“On the part of the INEC as a regulator, it shall be an oversight function to deploy alternative dispute resolution, especially when the matter is brought before it formally.
The INEC again should have the courage to respond to the letter of the founder and members of the Board to facilitate, and order the board to take responsibility in resolving the internal crisis.
“And for the avoidance doubts, it is on record that Kwankwaso and his splinter group and INEC were duly served with court notices against the illegal convention, yet the convention was held and INEC erroneously attended.
“However, we are meant to understand that most times, the chairman of the INEC may be shielded from facts of issues and sectional heads tend to do things on their own without the knowledge of the chairman.
“We shall, therefore, advise the INEC chairman to step up his supervisory role in the management and administration of the commission’s statutory responsibilities, and know when to evoke his residual powers to act.”
The party, therefore, appealed to Yakubu to attend to the letters written to him by the Board of Trustees of the NNPP, requesting that while the cases were ongoing in the courts, the life of the party should be preserved in the hands of the Board.
