22nd May, 2012
The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) on Monday in Abuja urged INEC to put in place structures that would ensure the sovereignty of the Nigerian people was upheld in the 2015 elections.
The National Chairman of the party, Prince Tony Momoh gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
He also urged INEC to uphold the “one man one vote” posture as was generally agreed at a stakeholders meeting organised by INEC on Friday.
“If for instance you say one man one vote would not count, then you are asking for resistance; Nigerians will resist any attempt to deprive them or deny them their mandate.
“If that sovereignty is denied through stealing of their mandate, then you are asking for resistance; you are asking for unrest and that is what every political leader has pointed out.
“You cannot deny democracy and social justice without crushing Nigeria, and we are saying we would not allow Nigeria to be crushed by allowing injustice instead of justice to prevail.
“President Goodluck Jonathan has said that he has not asked anyone to rig elections for him. So, if anybody wants to rig elections to put the president there, that person is on his own.”
Momoh called on Nigerians to ensure that their votes counted in the 2015 elections, saying that the party was against any attempt to manipulate the elections.
He has this to say on General Muhammadu Buhari’s position on electioneering in the country.
“So, the area of people voting, counting votes, and ensuring that votes count has been the only area of disagreement between the party and the PDP-ruling Federal Government, and also between General Buhari, as a statesman, as a patriot and as a participant in the political process and the Federal Government.
“So, there is nothing strange about the relationship between him and the Federal Government. He is not in opposition to the government; he is articulating his views as a political activist; as a party man; as someone who is interested in growing democracy.
“He is articulating his views which everybody in the polity who means well for the polity articulates.”
Momoh explained that after the 2011 Presidential Election in the country, General Muhammadu Buhari’s decided he would not go to court, saying the decision to go to court was the party’s.
“We accepted the final decision of the Supreme Court to confirm President Goodluck Jonathan as the president of Nigeria.
“So, all of us are in support of a Nigeria that is anchored on justice and democracy.”