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The Alliance for
Democracy (AD) said yesterday that it has been excluded from
participating in the April polls by the Independent National Electoral
Commission.

The national
chairman of AD, Okechukwu Obioha, who stated this yesterday, said the
commission deliberately delayed the issuance of CF001 and CF002 to the
party, making it impossible to beat the January 15 deadline for the
submission of list of candidates.

CF001 and CF002 are nomination forms issued to parties for candidates contesting elections.

He stated that
though the party complied with the directive of INEC acting director of
Political Party Monitoring, Regina Omo-Agege, to come to the
commission’s headquarters from December 15, 2010 to pick the forms,
they were never issued to them until January 11 this year, a few days
to the deadline.

“We hereby finally
bring to the notice of Nigerians that INEC has through the
instrumentality of her acting director of PPM & L, Mrs. Regina
Omo-Agege, excluded a major political party, Alliance for Democracy
(AD), from participating in the 2011 General Elections,” he said.

“Mrs Omo-Agege
religiously asked us to come every day from the 15th December, 2010 and
we piously complied until 11th January, 2011. This was after we warned
of grave consequences of excluding AD in the 2011 general elections,”
Mr. Obioha said.

He added that on
December 6 last year, the party gave INEC notices of its state
congresses and national convention, which was acknowledged by the
commission two days later. The congresses and conventions, he added,
were originally fixed for January 8 and 14th, respectively, in
compliance with section 85 of the Electoral Act. The national chairman
also alleged that despite giving it sufficient notice, the commission
feigned ignorance of the congresses and convention and never bothered
to attend.

According to him,
“Candidates and members of Alliance for Democracy have been
disenfranchised in the 2011 General Elections by INEC’s letter of 12th
January, 2011, in reply to AD’s letters of 23rd and 27th September,
2010, requesting our party to hold a convention to field candidates
three days to the close of INEC’s sacrosanct timetable of the 15th
January, 2011 party primaries and conventions.

“The PPM & L
officials of INEC are allegedly giving vent and approval to non-members
of Alliance for Democracy namely one Rafiu Salawu, Okezie Friday
Nwankwo, Iyke Ibe, etc to conduct an illegal National Convention of AD,
contrary to Section 85 of Electoral Act, 2010 and submit candidates of
non AD members for 2011 General Elections.

“These names are
never in AD’s INEC list of NEC or membership list. The PPM & L is
feeling frustrated that AD was not merged to ACN and determine that the
person, Okechukwu C. Obioha, JP that fought them to a standstill from
actualising this dream, is denied the leadership of this party.
Whatever convention that is notified and held now cannot fulfill the
requirement of Section 85 of the Electoral Act, 2010.”

Warning that the
Presidency, National Assembly, judiciary and the human rights activists
should step in to stop the alleged breach of laws by INEC, Mr. Obioha
also demanded that the AD should be given up till February 15th to
submit her candidates, in fulfillment of section 31 of the Electoral
Act.

When contacted,
Kayode Idowu, media aide to the INEC chairman, said he was not in a
position to respond to the allegation. He, however, said that the
commission will respond later.