Some human rights activists have called on the Independent
National Electoral Commission to restore sanity in the
nation’s electoral system by disqualifying President Goodluck
Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party from participating
in the February 2014 general elections.
The activists argued on Thursday that since the President
and the PDP knowingly flouted the Electoral Act which
prescribes N1bn as the maximum amount a presidential
candidate could incur on electioneering, they deserved to be
sanctioned.
The rights activists – Debo Adeniran, Lanre Suraj, Femi
Aborisade, Malachy Ugwummadu and Wale Ogunade, also
slammed the police authorities for their indifference to the
open breach of the Act.
Section 91(9) of the Act reads, “An individual or other
entity shall not donate more than N1m to any candidate.”
Sub-section 10 of the same section adds that a presidential
candidate “who knowingly acts in contravention of this section
commits an offence and on conviction is liable to a maximum
fine of N1m or imprisonment for a term of 12 months or
both.”
Section 91(2) of the same Act states that, “The maximum
election expenses to be incurred by a candidate at a
presidential election shall be N1bn.”
Adeniran, who is the Chairman of Coalition Against Corrupt
Leaders, said in an interview with The PUNCH on Thursday,
that the donation by PDP governors government agencies and
public agencies to the Jonathan campaign war chest was
distasteful.
According to him, their action ran contrary to the call by the
Federal Government on Nigerians to brace for austerity
measures.
The anti-corruption campaigner also pointed out that the
donation by players in the power sector amounted to forcing
Nigerians who had been made to pay for electricity they were
not provided with, to donate to Jonathan’s re-election bid.
He said, “The donation of over N21bn is a demonstration of
immorality in government. This is a clear violation of the
Electoral Act that specifies just N1bn for expenditure in
campaigns. Then that many of those who donated are
government agencies accentuates the recklessness and
impunity that governs the minds of our rulers.
“In a country where the government is asking the people to
tighten their belts, its agencies are donating several
millions of naira.
“These also included the people in the power sector who have
not been able to supply electricity which the people have paid
for. This is to say that people are being forced to contribute
to the campaign of the incumbent regime and that is
another level of immorality.
“INEC needs to bar Jonathan and his party from participating
in the general elections next year because they knowingly
contravened the law governing elections in the country.”
He also challenged the Independent Corrupt Practices and
Other-Related Offences Commission to investigate the
breach.
“It is not direct robbery that the police can intervene without
being invited. It is the duty of the ICPC to set up the Anti-
Corruption and Transparency Unit that has the mandate to
call to question, all the authorities that are violating
transaction and procurement rules like it is being perpetrated
by Jonathan and his political party.
“We expect the ICPC to move to check these financial
shenanigans. The ICPC does not need a petition before
they could act.”
On his part, Aborisade argued that since the police
authorities were fully represented at the PDP dinner/fund-
raiser on Saturday, they did not require any report or
invitation from any quarter to commence investigation.
He said the police “should not give us the impression that
they are only there to protect the interest of the ruling party
at the centre.”
“They are to investigate and prosecute crimes committed
against the law of Nigeria. The 1999 Constitution and the
electoral law have been breached and the police are
empowered to so act,” Aborisade, who is also a lawyer added.
While he made reference to section 4 of the Police Act to
corroborate his stance, he advised INEC to go ahead and
disqualify Jonathan and the PDP .
He said, “They are part and parcel of the Nigerian society.
They are fully aware. The police were well represented at the
donation. They witnessed it and they do not require any other
form of report from anybody. It is public knowledge and they
ought to have acted appropriately.
“But not only the police, even INEC ought to disqualify PDP
from presenting a candidate and ought to disqualify the
candidate of the PDP because they have flouted, in a very
disgraceful and condemnable manner, the Electoral Act.
“I think the INEC should introduce sanity into the Electoral
process because with that kind of donation, they are merely
saying they can induce every voter so that they can win the
2015 election.
“Our elections should not be monetised; they should be based
on issues or ideas that can uplift the lot of our people as
contained in the constitution.”
Also, Ugwummadu lamented that the donation had
demonstrated that “Nigeria has now become a huge theatre of
absurdity and one in which clear criminal actions and
activities have now worn a garb of comedy.”
He said, “On the day of the donation which was streamed
live on the television, I personally called the leadership of
several law enforcement agencies in this country to tell them
that they don’t need a complainant to begin to arrest those
people who were donating.
“And the fact that the arrest didn’t happen, even as I knew it
would not happen, clearly describes the poverty of the
situation we find ourselves which is indeed hopeless.
“We are now at the last bus stop before anarchy – that bus
stop where 18-year-old girls are now enrolled as suicide
bombers in legions; where crimes and criminalities are
perpetrated with impunity and encouraged by the ruling
political party.”
The activist advised INEC to disqualify the PDP and Jonathan
from participating in the elections as “they have been involved
in a clear case of criminality.”
National Electoral Commission to restore sanity in the
nation’s electoral system by disqualifying President Goodluck
Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party from participating
in the February 2014 general elections.
The activists argued on Thursday that since the President
and the PDP knowingly flouted the Electoral Act which
prescribes N1bn as the maximum amount a presidential
candidate could incur on electioneering, they deserved to be
sanctioned.
The rights activists – Debo Adeniran, Lanre Suraj, Femi
Aborisade, Malachy Ugwummadu and Wale Ogunade, also
slammed the police authorities for their indifference to the
open breach of the Act.
Section 91(9) of the Act reads, “An individual or other
entity shall not donate more than N1m to any candidate.”
Sub-section 10 of the same section adds that a presidential
candidate “who knowingly acts in contravention of this section
commits an offence and on conviction is liable to a maximum
fine of N1m or imprisonment for a term of 12 months or
both.”
Section 91(2) of the same Act states that, “The maximum
election expenses to be incurred by a candidate at a
presidential election shall be N1bn.”
Adeniran, who is the Chairman of Coalition Against Corrupt
Leaders, said in an interview with The PUNCH on Thursday,
that the donation by PDP governors government agencies and
public agencies to the Jonathan campaign war chest was
distasteful.
According to him, their action ran contrary to the call by the
Federal Government on Nigerians to brace for austerity
measures.
The anti-corruption campaigner also pointed out that the
donation by players in the power sector amounted to forcing
Nigerians who had been made to pay for electricity they were
not provided with, to donate to Jonathan’s re-election bid.
He said, “The donation of over N21bn is a demonstration of
immorality in government. This is a clear violation of the
Electoral Act that specifies just N1bn for expenditure in
campaigns. Then that many of those who donated are
government agencies accentuates the recklessness and
impunity that governs the minds of our rulers.
“In a country where the government is asking the people to
tighten their belts, its agencies are donating several
millions of naira.
“These also included the people in the power sector who have
not been able to supply electricity which the people have paid
for. This is to say that people are being forced to contribute
to the campaign of the incumbent regime and that is
another level of immorality.
“INEC needs to bar Jonathan and his party from participating
in the general elections next year because they knowingly
contravened the law governing elections in the country.”
He also challenged the Independent Corrupt Practices and
Other-Related Offences Commission to investigate the
breach.
“It is not direct robbery that the police can intervene without
being invited. It is the duty of the ICPC to set up the Anti-
Corruption and Transparency Unit that has the mandate to
call to question, all the authorities that are violating
transaction and procurement rules like it is being perpetrated
by Jonathan and his political party.
“We expect the ICPC to move to check these financial
shenanigans. The ICPC does not need a petition before
they could act.”
On his part, Aborisade argued that since the police
authorities were fully represented at the PDP dinner/fund-
raiser on Saturday, they did not require any report or
invitation from any quarter to commence investigation.
He said the police “should not give us the impression that
they are only there to protect the interest of the ruling party
at the centre.”
“They are to investigate and prosecute crimes committed
against the law of Nigeria. The 1999 Constitution and the
electoral law have been breached and the police are
empowered to so act,” Aborisade, who is also a lawyer added.
While he made reference to section 4 of the Police Act to
corroborate his stance, he advised INEC to go ahead and
disqualify Jonathan and the PDP .
He said, “They are part and parcel of the Nigerian society.
They are fully aware. The police were well represented at the
donation. They witnessed it and they do not require any other
form of report from anybody. It is public knowledge and they
ought to have acted appropriately.
“But not only the police, even INEC ought to disqualify PDP
from presenting a candidate and ought to disqualify the
candidate of the PDP because they have flouted, in a very
disgraceful and condemnable manner, the Electoral Act.
“I think the INEC should introduce sanity into the Electoral
process because with that kind of donation, they are merely
saying they can induce every voter so that they can win the
2015 election.
“Our elections should not be monetised; they should be based
on issues or ideas that can uplift the lot of our people as
contained in the constitution.”
Also, Ugwummadu lamented that the donation had
demonstrated that “Nigeria has now become a huge theatre of
absurdity and one in which clear criminal actions and
activities have now worn a garb of comedy.”
He said, “On the day of the donation which was streamed
live on the television, I personally called the leadership of
several law enforcement agencies in this country to tell them
that they don’t need a complainant to begin to arrest those
people who were donating.
“And the fact that the arrest didn’t happen, even as I knew it
would not happen, clearly describes the poverty of the
situation we find ourselves which is indeed hopeless.
“We are now at the last bus stop before anarchy – that bus
stop where 18-year-old girls are now enrolled as suicide
bombers in legions; where crimes and criminalities are
perpetrated with impunity and encouraged by the ruling
political party.”
The activist advised INEC to disqualify the PDP and Jonathan
from participating in the elections as “they have been involved
in a clear case of criminality.”
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