INEC decision in order – CUPP faults IPAC, warns activist, Iyere

The Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, has told the Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, not to overreach its boundary over its intervention in the controversial Enugu State governorship election.

The coalition also took a swipe at Edo State-born activist, Comrade Kennedy Iyere, warning that he would be held responsible for any violence and bloodshed in Enugu State.

Chairman of the IPAC in Enugu State, Mr. Edwin Alor had at a press briefing in Enugu on Tuesday, urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to declare the election winner with the already collated result.

IPAC had said the controversial Nkanu East result should be accepted by the commission and a winner announced.

However, at a press briefing on Wednesday, Chairman of CUPP, Mr. Ogbonna Festus Okafor berated IPAC for acting against its own code of conduct.

Okafor said the revised IPAC code of conduct clearly stated the group is neither partisan nor aligned to any political party, stressing that all those who participated in what he called “infamous press statement in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, deserves appropriate sanctions as provided in the IPAC new rules.”

Okafor said: “It is strange that IPAC, which is an embodiment of all political parties, would rush to the media to give an open endorsement to the PDP, in a matter that has LP, APC, APGA, among others as interested parties.

“What they did is an exercise in futility and should be discountenanced by the INEC. They merely satisfied those who recruited them.

“The CUPP unequivocally denounces the content and essence of that press briefing by a handful of IPAC members. It does not in any way represent the stand of the 18 political parties that make up the IPAC, CUPP members inclusive.

“The CUPP wants to state categorically that the INEC has the power to review any result before a winner is announced. In the case of the governorship election, the commission has up to one week window to by the way of a panel undertake a review of any perceived abnormality in the process of collating results.

“By virtue of Section 64(5) of the Electoral Act, a Returning Officer has the power to review any result at any level of collation to avoid using wrongly collated results.

“Having said this, the commission should not yield to undue pressure that would make it announce a result that would make it look foolish in the eyes of the society and the law.

“I see no reason for the undue pressure on the INEC; if the parties involved are certain they did not cheat the system, they should not make a fuss about the investigation; rather, they should tarry and allow the commission conclude its job and make necessary pronouncements.”

“We, therefore, call on the good people of Enugu State to be patient and allow for due diligence in all matters pertaining to the election,” Okafor submitted.

“CUPP also uses this opportunity to warn Kennedy Iyere from Edo State to stop his call for violence in Enugu State. He has been making inciting statements here whereas nothing has been heard from him concerning his own Edo State.

“We are putting all the security agencies on notice that should peace and order be distorted in Enugu State, he should be held responsible,” Okafor stated.