The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum yesterday condemned the alleged involvement or interference of the Department of State Service (DSS) in election tribunal’s matters in Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Abia states.
In a communiqué issued after its meeting yesterday in Abuja, which was presented to journalists by the forum’s chairman and Ondo State governor, Olusegun Mimiko, the PDP governors stated that the alleged interference of the DSS in elections tribunal’s matters was an attempt to stifle opposition.
The communiqué reads in part, among others: “The forum condemns in very strong terms the alleged worrisome meddlesomeness of the Department of State Service in election tribunal’s matters, especially in Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Abia states.
It is against the spirit, ethos, values and fundamental tenets of democratic norms and tradition; more so with the existence of the Electoral Act and the Constitution.
The forum is worried, alarmed and shocked by this development. A situation where officials of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in these three states, (all PDP states) are daily being arrested, detained and questioned on election-related offences even when the cases are on-going at the tribunals, spells doom and poses imminent danger to our fledgling democracy. The alleged interference is an attempt to stifle the opposition and this is most unacceptable. We insist that the trend be reversed. No democracy survives without a viable opposition in any part of the world.
“It is against the spirit, ethos, values and fundamental tenets of democratic norms and tradition; more so with the existence of the Electoral Act and the Constitution.
The governor, who alleged that the interference was an attempt to stifle the opposition and that the action was most unacceptable, said: “We insist that the trend be reversed. No democracy survives without a viable opposition in any part of the world”.
He claimed that there were clear cases of under-aged voters in some states and expressed worry that the DSS did not investigate a single person or make any arrest in those states. The governor added that “even in a clear case where money paid was traced to the bank account of a state Resident Electoral Commissioner, the DSS is yet to order investigation into the matter”.
INEC is supposed to be an independent commission and its officials ought to be shielded from partisanship, especially at a time when the dust raised by the alleged APC membership of the DG of the SSS, Mr. Lawal Musa Daura, is yet to settle.”
He went on to advise the DSS to pre-occupy itself with the task of ensuring internal security and not involve itself in electoral matters.
