Chairman of Board of governing council, Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi- Uku, Dr. Festus Okubor has said that President Muhammadu Buhari has no interest in conducting credible elections in 2019.
The board Chairman said President Buhari’s refusal to sign the amended Electoral Bill shows that he (Bihari) doesn’t have the interest of Nigerians at heart.
Dr. Okubor, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the State and a former Chief of Staff to the state government stated this in Asaba during interactive session with members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Delta State council,
Dr. Okubor urged Nigerians to be extra vigilant during the 2019 general elections to ensure that the people’s wishes are not subverted.
He vindicated the National Assembly from the burning issues generated by the non-assented bill, and put the blame on President and the All Progressive Congress (APC).
However, he said that the President and his party were not interested in credible elections in 2019 saying that the excuses Buhari put forward for withholding the assent were unfortunate.
According to him,” for me, what the president has done is a call on all Nigerians to be extremely vigilant and proactive to ensure that whether he likes it or not, Nigeria must hold credible elections next year. Votes must count and we don’t have to go up in arms to ensure that the result that will be declared will reflect the wishes of the people.
“The excuses that I have read most unfortunate, very unfortunate. What it tells me is that we have a government that is not interested in credible elections which is something to worry everyone at this point in time.
“Look, what is obvious is that he (Buhari) has no interest in credible elections, that is my own opinion. Every time the military said they were going to re-introduce democratic practice, there was always jubilation in the land. Nigerians love democracy, we want democracy, and nobody should under estimate the desire of the average Nigerian to have credible election,” he said.
PDP chieftain vehemently condemned vote buying in whatever form, while calling on voters to value themselves and value their votes.
“The cost of a person’s vote is the value of his own life, and if his life is invaluable, nothing should make him sell his vote because there in lies the power for us to achieve a great country or for us to continue to wallow on the path of mediocrity.”
On governorship election in the state, Okubor stated that the main opposition party in the state, the APC is too enmeshed in crisis to give the PDP and incumbent governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa a good fight.
He said that the PDP is very prepared and vigilant to ensure that the wish and will of the electorates in Delta state prevails.
Okubor stated that steps will be taken to ensure that all stakeholders in the election management process do the right thing, noting that any attempt to do the wrong thing will be stoutly resisted.
“Given the experiences of things we have seen around, we will be very vigilant. We will encourage INEC, for instance, to do the right thing. We will discourage them from doing the wrong thing. And we will also help them to understand that it will not do them or the country any good to do the wrong thing,” he added.
Dr. Okuborh maintained that Governor Okowa has performed credibly in the past three years to deserve re-election, urging the electorate not be to deceived by the propaganda of the APC and its governorship candidate, Great Ogboru.
