Afenifere Kicks Against Unitarisation Of Nigeria, Creation Of NILGEC
…Berates INEC, FG officials over Edo guber poll
Afenifere, the Pan Yoruba Socio-political group, has declared that the idea of a federal agency to conduct Local Government Councils elections in the country is but, a veritable weapon in furtherance of the undisguised policy of complete capture and absolute unitarisation of the Nigerian Federation by the Federal Government.
It stressed that the policy has attained its crescendo under the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration, thus, condemned what it described as political gerrymandering to push Nigeria into a unitary state by wielders of transient political power contrary to the existential covenant of federalism.
Accordingly, Afenifere said that it is therefore opposed to the proposed National Independent Local Government Electoral Commission (NILGEC) for the conduct of elections in the 774 Local Governments in the country.
It noted that the idea of a separate body being proposed by the Federal Government for Local Government election would be a monumental multiplication of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s inefficiencies at 774 degrees.
A communique issued at the end of the meeting of the pan-Yoruba group which took place at the residence of the Pa Ayo Adebanjo at the weekend, and presided over by Oba Oladipo Olaitan, noted that the Federal Government and its Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), have proven not better at conducting the limited elections with which they are saddled by the Constitution.
In the words of Afenifere; “From all indications, INEC has proven not independent of the Federal Government and the unfortunate situation gets progressively worsened.
“We resolved to mobilise and join democratic forces with all lovers of Nigeria against all tenets, tendencies, pretences, policies and practices of unitarianism in the Nigerian body politic,” the group stressed.
The communique of the meeting of the Afenifere signed by its Deputy Leader, Oba Olaitan and National Publicity Secretary, Prince Justice Faloye, specifically decried all forms of political rascality aimed at stifling democracy by the two tiers of the Nigerian government structure.
Commenting on the Edo State’s election, Afenifere said it observed with keen interest the processes leading to the governorship election with the hope that INEC would turn a new leaf from its shoddy handling of the 2023 general elections.
Afenifere said; “But, most unfortunately, the Commission rather gained speed in its progressive descent into the abyss of electoral malpractices which actively compromise the rights of the people to choose their leaders in their overriding interests.
“We endorsed the verdicts of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and credible election monitors on the integrity of the processes and conduct of the election revealing sharp practices including vote-buying, deliberate compromise of technological innovations, abrupt and unilateral suspension of collation and resultant manipulation and brazen alterations of results”.
The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group said it was not interested in the political party or personality declared the winner but in the credibility and integrity of the processes, emphasizing that its sour memories had left the legitimacy of the end with question marks.
Afenifere said the growing idea of top-level officials, including governors and heads of the federal legislature, abandoning their states and duties also generates tension with unnecessary pressure on the process in the off-season election.
It reiterated its stand on the Nigerian security architecture of a single Police Command, saying that it is antithetical to the ideal, reality and practice of federalism, particularly in the case of Nigeria, with its large population and vast territory, adding that the single police force has continued to deepen the deplorable state of internal security engendering abysmal incapacity of the Nigerian Police and put pressure on the armed forces to the extent that the Chief of Defence Staff had to ensure the deployment of members of the armed forces on routine police and civil assignments including coverage of peaceful protests and election duties.
Afenifere noted that the dominion of land by terrorists was responsible for the skyrocketing inflation of prices of food items as farmers are displaced without hope of returning to their farms.
On the economy, Afenifere said the operation of the Dangote refinery is a welcome development but, said the removal of collateral expenses should make the price of products from the refinery of crude procured locally far cheaper and more affordable than it presently is.
The communique further said; “Nigerians have not been informed of the beneficial effects of the monopoly of distribution of the Dangote products by the NNPCL. Rather, the success of the Dangote initiative should encourage the NNPC to do something about its moribund refineries and for the Federal Government to liberalise local production by encouraging small-scale and modular refineries with quality control supervision”.
