Nigeria Content Online

The People’s
Democratic Party (PDP) has faulted calls for the postponement of the
governorship election in Delta State, saying such call left it in
‘utter disbelief.’ The party also said it was troubled that some
political parties were planning to sabotage the re-run elections in the
state.

Fresh election for
the governorship of Delta State is scheduled to hold on January,
following the nullification of the 2007 election of former governor of
the state, Emmanuel Uduaghan. But the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)
recently said the election should be postponed to give all aspirants
more time to prepare.

“We view the call
from the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) for the postponement of the
elections as suspicious, ill timed and baseless,” a statement from the
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Rufai Alkali said. “It comes to us as
a huge surprise that ACN which has no candidate in the forthcoming
rerun elections would, with no valid reason or cause, just call for
postponement of an election whose date was fixed long time ago. We
wonder why a political party that did not participate in the first
election would call for a postponement at this time. The PDP wishes to
disassociate itself fully from these dubious and mischievous ranting of
latter day democrats.” Mr Alkali also said the PDP wishes to call on
INEC to ignore the ‘diversionary calls’ and go ahead with its
preparations for the elections.

ACN’S position

The Action Congress
of Nigeria (ACN) in a press statement issued by its National Publicity
Secretary, Lai Mohammed on Monday warned INEC not to go ahead with the
election on January 6, 2011, if indeed the electoral body wants free,
fair and credible polls.

Mr Mohammed alleged
that there is no credible voters’ register in Delta State or anywhere
at all in the country to allow for a successful election.

According to the
party, “the main plank of the Court of Appeal’s nullification of the
2007 Delta’s State governorship election was the failure of INEC to
tender or even plead the voters’ register allegedly used in the April
14, 2007 election.” It however also alleged that the party said the way
and manner the Delta rerun has been handled so far gives the impression
that nothing has changed in INEC since the discredited Maurice Iwu era,
and that its chairman Attahiru Jega may have been hemmed in by those
bent on seeing to it that INEC under him fails woefully, as it did
under Mr Iwu.