2019: INEC Chairman Meeting With Political Party Chairmen Ends In Disagreements, Walkout

BY AMOS DUNIA, ABUJA – A meeting that was expected to discuss the guidelines for the 2019 general elections between the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu and National Chairman of the 91 registered political parties ended in a major disagreement, rejection of amendments by the Electoral commission and walkouts by the party leaders.

The party Chairmen pointedly accused INEC of doctoring/tampering with the guideline for the 2019 election on accreditation procedures.

The Party National chairmen also demanded a comprehensive list of collected PVCs before the scheduled elections as well as demanded the removal or stepping down of Mrs Amina Zakari as head of the collation centre.

The 91 political parties specifically accused the INEC of doctoring the Election Guidelines without consulting and notifying them, stressing that the guideline was smuggled into the meeting with obnoxious clauses and strange inclusions that will lead to massive rigging of the 2019 election. 

Crisis started when Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, who is the national chairman of the Action Peoples Party (APP),as well as the Spokesperson of IPAC and Opposition CUPP interjected the meeting to raise alarm to the release of the guideline without the input of the chairmen and tampering with the clauses which led to applause from the chairmen who supported his views.

The issues raised by Ugochinyere include tampering with the 2015 accreditation method which allowed for accreditation and voting separately and the rejection of the new clause which provides for simultaneous accreditation and voting which the parties noted would give room for a scanty polling unit that will aid rigging instead of the accreditation and voting separately which will keep the people behind as shield to resist rigging.

The parties accordingly want the INEC to provide a form that would be issued to political parties, that would record and announce accreditation before voting starts with a view to deter tampering with the results since accreditation would be known.

The political parties also demanded for the total number of PVCs collected before the election and the removal of former corps member and federal civil servants from the list of INEC ad-hoc staff.

The INEC agreed to stop PVC collection one week to election and give out the numbers collected at the state level to all stakeholders.  

However, the refusal of the Electoral Commission to shift ground on the issue of tampering with the 2015 accreditation method and the introduction of simultaneous accreditation and voting for 2019 election led to a major disagreement and commotion that took over the meeting with shouts and tempers going high.

At this stage, the political parties pointedly accused the INEC chairman, Prof Yakubu of insincerity and planning to aid the rigging of the election.

They insisted that they would not collaborate with Commission any further or endorse the Guideline until it is corrected and ensure that all credible election threatening clauses removed. 

Earlier, a move by some pro-Buhari chairmen who wanted to stop the IPAC chairmen, Mr Peter Ameh from speaking with the tacit support of some INEC officials were rebuffed as the few chairmen were eased out of the meeting venue for the meeting to resume.