APC Goes To Court to Challenge Deployment of Troops to Osun for Governorship Poll

Posted by African Examiner Latest Headlines, News, Politics Wednesday, July 23rd, 2014

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has mapped out measures, including legal actions challenging the President’s power to deploy troops to Osun and the Inspector-General of Police to impose a curfew on any part during the election, all to ensure a free, fair, transparent election in the coming State’s Gubernatorial poll slated for August 9, this year.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said it had also written Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to demand a possible postponement of the exercise if the electoral commission could not guarantee that all registered voters would be provided their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) before the voting day or in the alternative, allow registered voters with temporary voters’ card to cast their votes during the poll.

APC stated that the measures were to avoid a repeat of the massive harassment, intimidation and arrest of opposition politicians in the recent Ekiti governorship election, and to prevent any illegal lock down of the State.

The opposition party revealed that the letter to INEC was sequel to concerns expressed by its members on alleged denial of their PVCs by the state INEC officials under shady circumstances, a development it also alleged could be a ploy to massively “disenfranchise APC members” and rig the exercise.

APC noted its legal actions on the concerned areas reaffirmed that the party was a law abiding and peaceful organization.

”We are not seeking any favour beyond that all candidates in the election be allowed to have a level playing field, for all registered voters to be able to cast their votes in an atmosphere devoid of violence, harassment and intimidation, and for the election itself to be conducted in substantial compliance with the law,” the statement maintained.

The party reasoned that popular participation was the core of democratic governance, but stressed a situation where “opposition registered voters” were not allowed to vote based on the incompetence of the electoral authorities was anti-democratic, warning that the approaching poll must not just be free, fair and transparent, but be hailed by all stakeholders.