From Aliyu Mohammed, Minna
Niger State chapter of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has said the appointment of Engineer Mohammed Jibrin Imam as Chairman of the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) by Governor Umaru Bago is unacceptable as it violates the principles of democracy and fair play.
The Governor announced the appointment of Imam and seven Permanent Commissioners for the Commission on Wednesday.
The State Vice Chairman of PDP, Yahaya Ability, made this known in a statement issued to newsmen in Minna.
Ability, faulted the appointment of both the chairman and the Permanent Commissioners saying, while Imam was the immediate past chairman of the ruling party in the state, All Progressive Congress (APC), the Permanent Commissioners are also APC’s stakeholders in their respective LGAs.
The Vice Chairman, who observed with dismay said, the action of the governor was capable of not only undermining the development of democracy but would also make people lose faith in the electoral process of the state during council elections.
“The governor’s decision to appoint the former APC Chairman and other ruling party members to pilot the affairs of the Niger State Independence Electoral Commission is a clear violation of fairness and democratic principles.
“The move signals an unfair political advantage for the ruling party and that contradicts the essence of democratic governance. Therefore, we are calling on the State Assembly to reject the list and reverse the entire process by ensuring that only neutral people made up for the composition of the members that will pilot the affairs of the Commission”, he said.
