By Samuel Ibezim

Mahmood Yakubu, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, chairman is yet to recognise Mike Omotosho, Labour Party, LP, national chairman, as the party’s national chairman more than eight months after his election.

Omotosho stated this to newsmen in Lagos, on Tuesday, June 12, on the margins of 25th anniversary of June 12, presidential election that was organised by Oodua People’s Congress, OPC, in collaboration with the Lagos state chapter of Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ.

He said that there are doubts about Yakubu’s credibility to conduct a free and fair 2019 general election, adding that the onus lies with him to prove himself credible and independent while on duty.

“…We are also suffering same because we had a national convention since the 3^rd of October 2017 and as I speak, we still have the name of the former chairman on INEC website. So these are some of the issues that takes away credibility from not just the chairman but from the entity itself.” Omotosho said.

The LP chairman advised INEC to capitalise on the independency of the body to ensure that peoples vote counts as the electorates have been clamouring for. He regretted that Nigerians are yet to believe in electoral process in the country hence they avoid registering and voting for the right leaders because of the 1993 rape of democracy by then military leaders. He urged the electoral umpire to draw inspirations from the 1993 election as it was globally recognised as Nigeria’s freest and fairest election.

On the declaration of June as Democracy by President Muhammed Buhari, Omotosho said that it is a welcomed development irrespective of the claim by some people that he has political motive. It is a sincere recognition that satisfies the yearnings of majority of Nigerians who believed in Moshood Abiola’s presidential victory of June 12, 1993, Omotosho said, advising the government to concentrate as health, education, security and economy.

He emphasized on social democracy that would provide equal opportunity and social justice for everybody as governance is not all about self-centeredness nor self-interest, adding that it is about the people, the ordinary masses, the man and the woman in the street and providing quality education among others.

Reacting on the call for restructuring, he said that it is a gradual process if the willingness is there to do it. Omotosho said that government needs to come up with policies that would touch lives of the citizens and make the country a better place.

He said his political ambition in 2019 is to provide a platform for credible people to contest and showcase what true democracy is “which is beyond just providing good governance to the people but to ensure that all of the ideals is about the people.”

June 13, 2018 @ 16:10 GMT |