President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday promised to withdraw the names of people alleged to be members of the Peoples Democratic Party appointed by him as national and state resident electoral commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission. Jonathan, at the National Executive Committee meeting of the PDP in Abuja, said he would do so because of the criticisms trailing the appointments. He had told the National Council of State at its recent meeting in Abuja that he would drop any INEC official whose appointment was trailed by controversy. The Action Congress, the National Conscience Part and Human Rights Monitor had, on Tuesday, raised the alarm that the President had appointed four of his party’s members into the board of INEC. They gave the names of the affected persons as Ambassador Z. Anka, who was alleged to have contested the governorship of Zamfara State on the platform of the PDP in 1999; Gen. A.B. Mamman, a member of the BOT; Mr. Eddy Nwatalari from Enugu State; and Alhaji Yakubu Shehu, who contested the senatorial elections in 2003 and 2007 on the platform of the party in Kaduna State. The AC, NCP and HRM had argued that the electoral body would not be able to conduct free and fair elections in the country with PDP members as electoral umpires. At the NEC meeting on Thursday, Jonathan said, “Let me also use the opportunity to brief our party members. Of course, you have read in the newspapers that we have sent the list of INEC nominees to the Senate. “We presented the list of INEC commissioners that will replace the ones, whose tenures have expired, during the last NCS meeting. “And I believe that immediately the Senate convenes, that will be the first document they will look at. “But I did mention to members of the NCS the day I made the presentation to them that from that day till when the list would be screened, if I hear any complaint about a particular person, we are going to withdraw that person. “Immediately the Senate screens the list, I will no longer have powers to withdraw, except there are major challenges. Then, I will go back to the Senate and say that there are so many complaints about Mr. ‘A’ or Mrs. ‘B’, we need to withdraw because I will need to consult them when it gets to that point. “But until the screening, I have the full powers to withdraw somebody that the people raise issues against. If you have followed media publications, you will notice that they come with clear evidence of some people that are clear members of political parties. “The constitution does not say that if you are a member of a political party, you should not be in INEC; no, that is very clear. “You can be a member of a political party. We can (even) decide to make the acting chairman (of the PDP) the chairman of INEC if we chose to do so and we believe that he can conduct elections free and fair. “I am not saying that he is going to rig elections for the PDP. In fact, the law emphasises that to be in INEC you must qualify to contest election into the House of Representatives. “For you to contest election into the House of Representatives you must be a member of a political party. So, if you follow the law to the letter, you can appoint people in political parties to be in INEC. “Active members of political parties will feel, wrongly or rightly, that we will be biased. If today I make the acting chairman as the INEC chairman, they will say PDP has taken over the place. “For that reason, I promise Nigerians and the whole world that come 2011, we are going to conduct free and fair elections. “For that reason, anybody that will be in INEC should be somebody that should be above board, people should have confidence in him because perception is one thing and reality is another. “If they perceive that he will do the wrong thing, even if he does the right thing and somebody fails in the election, they will believe that he was manipulated out. For that reason, those people that have been linked to key roles in political parties, I am withdrawing them.” The President also lamented that the security situation in the country had deteriorated. He revealed that Nigeria lost the chance to host the Commonwealth Games because of kidnapping. He explained that all his efforts to convince members of the international community that Abuja, where the events were to hold, was far from the Niger Delta where kidnapping was rampart was rebuffed. Jonathan added that the rate of kidnapping in the South-East, especially in Abia State, was not acceptable to the government. He said, “The security situation in the country is worrisome; especially kidnapping. I always say that in terms of petty crimes, there are some countries that are worse than Nigeria in petty crimes. “Now, South Africa is hosting the whole world and dignitaries, especially soccer stars, are there and nobody is complaining. “But petty crimes, for those of you who have been to South Africa or who have read about South Africa, are worse there than Nigeria. “But nobody is complaining about South Africa hosting the World Cup. I remember when we were struggling to host the Commonwealth Games, the late President Umaru Yar’Adua asked us to go and appeal to the organisers. “What was used in blackmailing us was kidnapping. And I told them, look, you are talking of kidnapping, I am from the Niger Delta, where we are going to host the Games is Abuja and Niger Delta is far away from Abuja.” He said the country would no longer allow criminals to take charge. The President added, “We can no longer continue to live in a society where even if your wife is going to church, you have to look for APC (Armoured Personnel Carrier) to follow her. “If your children are going to school, you have to look for machine gun- carrying security people to follow them. How many people can afford that?” He listed other challenges facing his government as power and the implementation of the post-amnesty programme in the Niger Delta. On PDP ’s chances in the 2011 general election, the President called on the leadership of the party to make sure that popular candidates emerged at the end of the primaries.

 
President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday promised to withdraw the names of people alleged to be members of the Peoples Democratic Party appointed by him as national and state resident electoral commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Jonathan, at the National Executive Committee meeting of the PDP in Abuja, said he would do so because of the criticisms trailing the appointments.

He had told the National Council of State at its recent meeting in Abuja that he would drop any INEC official whose appointment was trailed by controversy.

The Action Congress, the National Conscience Part and Human Rights Monitor had, on Tuesday, raised the alarm that the President had appointed four of his party’s members into the board of INEC.

They gave the names of the affected persons as Ambassador Z. Anka, who was alleged to have contested the governorship of Zamfara State on the platform of the PDP in 1999; Gen. A.B. Mamman, a member of the BOT; Mr. Eddy Nwatalari from Enugu State; and Alhaji Yakubu Shehu, who contested the senatorial elections in 2003 and 2007 on the platform of the party in Kaduna State.

The AC, NCP and HRM had argued that the electoral body would not be able to conduct free and fair elections in the country with PDP members as electoral umpires.

At the NEC meeting on Thursday, Jonathan said, “Let me also use the opportunity to brief our party members. Of course, you have read in the newspapers that we have sent the list of INEC nominees to the Senate.

“We presented the list of INEC commissioners that will replace the ones, whose tenures have expired, during the last NCS meeting.

“And I believe that immediately the Senate convenes, that will be the first document they will look at.

“But I did mention to members of the NCS the day I made the presentation to them that from that day till when the list would be screened, if I hear any complaint about a particular person, we are going to withdraw that person.

“Immediately the Senate screens the list, I will no longer have powers to withdraw, except there are major challenges. Then, I will go back to the Senate and say that there are so many complaints about Mr. ‘A’ or Mrs. ‘B’, we need to withdraw because I will need to consult them when it gets to that point.

“But until the screening, I have the full powers to withdraw somebody that the people raise issues against. If you have followed media publications, you will notice that they come with clear evidence of some people that are clear members of political parties.

“The constitution does not say that if you are a member of a political party, you should not be in INEC; no, that is very clear.

“You can be a member of a political party. We can (even) decide to make the acting chairman (of the PDP) the chairman of INEC if we chose to do so and we believe that he can conduct elections free and fair.

“I am not saying that he is going to rig elections for the PDP. In fact, the law emphasises that to be in INEC you must qualify to contest election into the House of Representatives.

“For you to contest election into the House of Representatives you must be a member of a political party. So, if you follow the law to the letter, you can appoint people in political parties to be in INEC.

“Active members of political parties will feel, wrongly or rightly, that we will be biased. If today I make the acting chairman as the INEC chairman, they will say PDP has taken over the place.

“For that reason, I promise Nigerians and the whole world that come 2011, we are going to conduct free and fair elections.

“For that reason, anybody that will be in INEC should be somebody that should be above board, people should have confidence in him because perception is one thing and reality is another.

“If they perceive that he will do the wrong thing, even if he does the right thing and somebody fails in the election, they will believe that he was manipulated out. For that reason, those people that have been linked to key roles in political parties, I am withdrawing them.”

The President also lamented that the security situation in the country had deteriorated. He revealed that Nigeria lost the chance to host the Commonwealth Games because of kidnapping.

He explained that all his efforts to convince members of the international community that Abuja, where the events were to hold, was far from the Niger Delta where kidnapping was rampart was rebuffed.

Jonathan added that the rate of kidnapping in the South-East, especially in Abia State, was not acceptable to the government.

He said, “The security situation in the country is worrisome; especially kidnapping. I always say that in terms of petty crimes, there are some countries that are worse than Nigeria in petty crimes.

“Now, South Africa is hosting the whole world and dignitaries, especially soccer stars, are there and nobody is complaining.

“But petty crimes, for those of you who have been to South Africa or who have read about South Africa, are worse there than Nigeria.

“But nobody is complaining about South Africa hosting the World Cup. I remember when we were struggling to host the Commonwealth Games, the late President Umaru Yar’Adua asked us to go and appeal to the organisers.

“What was used in blackmailing us was kidnapping. And I told them, look, you are talking of kidnapping, I am from the Niger Delta, where we are going to host the Games is Abuja and Niger Delta is far away from Abuja.”

He said the country would no longer allow criminals to take charge.

The President added, “We can no longer continue to live in a society where even if your wife is going to church, you have to look for APC (Armoured Personnel Carrier) to follow her.

“If your children are going to school, you have to look for machine gun- carrying security people to follow them. How many people can afford that?”

He listed other challenges facing his government as power and the implementation of the post-amnesty programme in the Niger Delta.

On PDP ’s chances in the 2011 general election, the President called on the leadership of the party to make sure that popular candidates emerged at the end of the primaries.