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The national
leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said it
refused to sign the code of conduct for parties produced by the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) because the parties
were not allowed to make input into the drafting of the documents as
agreed at a retreat with the commission in Calabar, Cross River State.

The national
secretary of the party, Abubakar Kawu Baraje, said INEC should carry
the blame for its refusal to follow agreement reached between it and
the political parties.

“At the retreat
organised by INEC and the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) for all
registered political parties in Nigeria held in Calabar, Cross River
State recently, it was agreed that all political parties shall
contribute ideas towards the establishment of an acceptable code of
conduct for all parties in the forthcoming elections,” Mr Baraje said.

Party is law abiding

“The PDP has always
participated actively and given its maximum cooperation to INEC in all
its programmes. It is this very high esteem with which we hold INEC
that the National Secretary broke away from the ongoing nationwide
presidential campaign to attend the stakeholders forum summoned by INEC
on the 8th of March 2011.

“However, to our
greatest surprise, the INEC Chairman announced that the forum was for a
signing ceremony for a “code of conduct” which we were seeing for the
first time. The earlier understanding that a draft copy shall be sent
to parties for inputs was completely jettisoned.” Still cooperating Mr
Baraje said the PDP, alongside other parties, raised this observation
which the INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega acknowledged and subsequently
advised that parties could still come up with their inputs even after
signing of the documents had taken place.

He added that in
complying with Mr Jega’s advice, the PDP and 42 other parties met and
came up with inputs into the code of conduct and submitted same on the
8th of March. He said the submission has been duly acknowledged by the
office of the INEC Chairman.

“The PDP is
therefore not afraid of complying with any code of conduct, neither is
it in any way working towards sabotaging the forthcoming elections as
unfairly implied by some people. We are only insisting on proper
procedure to protect the interest of all Political Parties,” he said.

Mr Baraje described as “misleading” media reports purporting that he
refused, adding that his action was twisted to make it look like the
PDP is averse to set rules meant to regulate the forthcoming electoral
exercise.