Acoalition of Northern youth groups under the aegis of ‘Coalition Of Northern Nigeria Ethnic Youth Leaders (CONNEYL) has rejected the appointment of an alleged All Progressives Congress (APC) member, Professor Muhammad Lawal Bashar, as the Jigawa State’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The Coalition in a statement on Wednesday signed by it’s National Coordinator, Naankin Dafoum Mathew that, the appointment was an abysmal aberration to the nation’s constitution and an attempt to rape democracy by the President Buhari’s ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).
It stated, “Our attention has been drawn to the purported appointment of Professor Muhammad Lawal Bashar, a known APC stalwart and former governorship aspirant under the party’s flag as the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Jigawa state.
“The point must be emphasized that Professor Muhammad Lawal Bashar is a proud, unapologetic member of the APC. Everything he currently enjoys, including this so-called appointment, is a direct benefit of his membership of the APC.
“This can not be allowed to stand, especially since the appointment clearly violated “Section 14 (2a) of the third schedule to the 1999 Nigerian Constitution” which provides that “a member of the Independent National Electoral Commission shall be non-partisan and a person of unquestionable integrity”.
The group reminded that, Nigerians had in the past rose against the nomination of Lauretta Onochie who was not only a card carrying member of the APC, but an active participant in the party’s politics and the President’s Special Adviser.
The group added, “Bloodied and bruised, Buhari later withdrew her nomination. It is simply unfortunate, that despite the obviousness of Professor Muhammad Lawal Bashar’s celebrated membership of APC, Nigeria’s Senate under the leadership of Ahmad Lawan still went ahead to rubber stamp his appointment as the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Jigawa state. This must be rejected.
“Unfortunately, President Buhari who emerged President of Nigeria leveraging on the neutrality of the Professor Mahmud Jega’s led INEC in 2015, is today shamelessly aiding and abetting the appointments of his party members as presiding officers of the INEC.
“Buhari’s regime may go down in history as the only government since 1999 to be busted twice for trying to appoint card carrying members of his party, the APC, as National Electoral Commissioners.
“It therefore stands reason on the head to even imagine that a government that claims it wants to bequeath to Nigerians a legacy of free and fair elections will display its desperation in so crude a manner”.
The group noted that, as civil society organisations passionate about advancing the rights of Nigerians to choose leaders under a neutral atmosphere devoid of high-level meddling, it rejects the appointment of Professor Muhammad Lawal Bashar outrightly and totally.
It added that, the Senate must, as a matter of principle, recall his appointment and write it off as a serious error.
It added, “Whatever happens, allowing Prof Lawal to continue parading himself as the REC of Jigawa will be the greatest rape of democracy.
“Like in the case of Lauretta Onochie, we call on all Nigerians of conscience to rise up and resist this obvious attempt at muzzling the independence of INEC in Jigawa.
“The situation calls for a closing of ranks. We must resist this attempt at enthroning evil totally and comprehensively. An injury to one, should be an injury to all.
“We keenly observed that the ruling APC are jittery of going to poll in Jigawa as the state seems to be a stronghold of the PDP and Atiku Abubakar’s support base in the northwest, hence the appointment of its member as Commissioner.
“We’ll mobilise to protest against this recklessness until such appointment is cancelled in the best interest of democracy and Nigeria”.
The group further emphasised that, in any game and contest, umpires must be neutral, especially the electoral commissioners who preside over elections where decisions are taken by the majority on who has their mandate.
It added, “Therefore, those deployed to oversee elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must be neutral and nonpartisan”.
