Group faults appointment of new INEC boss

CONCERNERD political leaders and professionals from the six states of the South-South geo-political region have faulted the decision by President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint Professor Mahmud Yakubu as new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), saying “the appointment is biased and an act of nepotism.”

Speaking under the aegis of the Voice of the South-South (VSS), the group said though the President had the prerogative power to appoint a chairman for the commission, it however, maintained that the choice of Yakubu was “a deliberate show of bias, moral corruption and nepotism against the existing geo-political zones.

In a statement issued yesterday in Yenagoa by the Bayelsa State chairman of the association, Barr. Alex Dumbo, VSS stated that the past administrations of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan conducted free, air and credible elections due to their considerations for other regions and zero tolerance to nepotism, adding: “But the action of President Muhammadu Buhari shows a profound case of nepotism and moral corruption.”

“While Obasanjo appointed INEC boss from the South-East, former President Goodluck Jonathan appointed from the North. Both are away from their kinsmen to avoid bias in the electoral processes. Jonathan’s unbiased appointment into INEC and the outcome brought President Buhari into office. But we are more concerned about the conspiracy of silence among the scores of public critics and commentators during the Jonathan administration.

“We have observed that the appointment of the new INEC Chairman, who is another of President Buhari’s kinsmen, is a deliberate show of intent to rig and manipulate the coming December 5 governorship election in Bayelsa State and other elections in states of the South-South, “ the group alleged.

“As we have pointed out before now, the ongoing anti-corruption crusade of President Buhari has become a mere charade targeted at manipulation of situations and Institutions in the quest to occupy some regions and geo-political zones, including the South-South and the South-East. Corruption is not only about money, some moral acts that are against a people are also corruption,” Dumbo submitted.

Meanwhile former militants under the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Phase 3 in Edo State, yesterday called on President Buhari and Coordinator of the programme to address alleged lop-sidedness in allocation of slots to beneficiaries, an action they said, was unfair to them and their followers.

At a press briefing by the group in Benin City, led by its spokesperson, Abiodun Edah, the ex-militiants also commended the President for appointing Brig-General Paul Boroh (rtd) to oversee the programme in the South/South geo-political region, saying his emergence would help fast-track development occasioned by the hitches in offsetting the outstanding allowances of the erstwhile warlords.

Edah, who was flanked by Samson Funpuwei and Edwin Ojijor, said several attempts to get the former coordinator of the programme, Kingsley Kuku address the ‘abnormality’ were unsuccessful owing to what they termed bureaucratic bottlenecks.

“We want to use this opportunity to commend President Buhari for the speedy appointment of Boroh knowing very well that PMB abhors oppression, marginalisation and corruption. We have strong confidence that under his administration, the marginalization, especially in Edo Phase 3, would be corrected.

“The slots so far made available for the third phase of the programme should be shared equitably devoid of any political colouration. The amnesty programme of the Federal Government is the blood testimony of the Niger Delta struggle,” Edah said.