*Accuses both parties of fostering hardship on Nigerians
The National Conscience Party (NCP) governorship candidate in Edo State, Pastor Peters Osawaru Omoragbon, has said that the Independent National Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) and the elites in the two major political parties, All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are the nation’s greatest problems.
Omoragbon also accused both the PDP and APC administrations in the country of fostering a lot of suffering on citizens during their tenure by not adhering to the rule of law.
The NCP candidate was reacting to the recent judgement of the Appeal Court that nullified the deregistration of 74 political parties, including the NCP, by the electoral body.
While commending the Appellete court for the ruling, he said that the decision was a victory by the Nigerian people.
Omoragbon described as unfortunate that since the return to democracy, both parties, in the name of civil administrations, had continued to unleash authoritarianism and tyranny on the people through miscarriage of justice.
He noted that INEC’s decision to deregister the NCP was shocking not only to its members, but also to a large number of Nigerians, recalling that his party, which he said was known for its pro-masses programmes, was the oldest party in the nation since the return to democracy.
He tackled the electoral umpire for overlooking the landmark judgement of the Supreme Court of November 8, 2002, which made it possible for the registration of political parties in line with Section 40 of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution.
According to Omoragbon, it was that Supreme Court judgement that made it possible for the APC and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), President Muhammadu Buhari’s former political party, which later merged with Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), and a faction of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), to form the All Progressive Congress (APC) in February of 2013.
The NCP candidate maintained that the recent Appeal Court’s ruling, which nullified INEC’s action, was highly commendable, and demonstrated that Nigeria still had many judges of honour and integrity, who had made the judiciary to remain the last hope of the common man.
While noting that INEC had indicated its desire to challenge the Appeal Court ruling at the Supreme Court, Omoragbon stressed that the electoral agency would be serving only the interests of the elites in APC and PDP, rather than that of the Nigerian people by going to the Apex Court, an action he added would be a waste of public fund.
“From the foregoing, one can only deduce that, INEC do not have the interest of the Nigerian people at heart but to serve its masters in APC and PDP both in the Presidency and the National Assembly that colluded together to insert the fraud called Section 225 into the 1999 Nigerian Constitution as amended.
“This is why INEC wants to engage in the waste of public funds characteristic of the APC and PDP government by initiating plans to challenge the ruling and like it was shamed in 2002 under their first chairman, Late Dr Abel Guobadia, so would it be disgraced again this year if it goes to the Supreme Court.
“The Supreme Court knows that it is not about INEC and its paymasters in APC and PDP, but it is about the soul of this nation and democracy. The world is tired of the continuous shameless behaviour and attitudes of our elites and their ‘selected’ members at the National Assembly and the State Houses of Assembly nationwide”, he added.
