Nigeria Content Online

The Inter-Party
Advisory Council (IPAC), a coalition of political parties in the
country, yesterday warned party leaders against preaching violence and
making baseless allegations against the federal government and the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The chairman of
IPAC, Osita Okereke, who spoke on behalf of the group in Abuja, said it
remains opposed to violence by any political party before, during and
after the elections, which begin Saturday with the rescheduled National
Assembly elections.

IPAC, composed of
representatives of the nation’s political parties, had on March 8, this
year, signed up to a Code of Conduct to eschew violence and sanction
any breach of the code. Mr Okereke stated that IPAC would also not
condone a situation where parties level spurious and unfounded
allegations against the government and the electoral body, adding that
such was capable of undermining these institutions and precipitating
crises.

“IPAC, among
others, has the responsibility to observe and monitor the
implementation of the Code of Conduct, 2011 and shall identify,
investigate and sanction violation of the Code of Conduct by any
political party in accordance with existing laws,” he said.

“IPAC is committed
to ensure strict compliance with the Code of Conduct because we believe
it will conduce to peaceful electoral process. Violence will take us
nowhere. It will only cause hysteria in the polity and put the nation
on the edge. The nation can make progress peacefully and that is what
IPAC seeks to achieve in concert with the INEC.”

Mr Okereke, who is
also the national chairman of African Liberation Party (ALP), said IPAC
has already begun work on a profile on each party with a view to
detailing violent acts, tendencies and preachments as well as overall
compliance and non-compliance with the Code of Conduct.

He said that a report would be made to INEC and other relevant agencies for necessary actions.

In a veiled
reference to the allegation made by the Congress for Progressive Change
(CPC) against the federal government and INEC, Mr Okereke said that the
council is worried that some parties have resorted to making unfounded
allegations against the INEC and the federal government.

“This will not augur well for the process. There is need to
reinforce the integrity of the electoral process. This cannot be done
by making spurious and unfounded allegations as some parties and their
leaders are now wont to do.” Mr Okereke also appealed to Nigerians to
go out en masse on Saturday to cast their votes, saying free, fair and
credible elections would strengthen the nation’s democratic
institutions and bolster people’s believability in and respect for them.