16th July, 2015
Chief Olisa Metuh has stated categorically that the main opposition party in Nigeria, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will not accept the outcome of any election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), if Mrs Amina Zakari, remained its head.
Metuh, the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, stated this during visits to the United States National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute in Abuja on Thursday.
“PDP will find it difficult to accept outcome of any election if it loses any election under Zakari,” Metuh added.
He said this was due to her close relationship to Buhari.
This means that if Zakari remains the acting chairman of INEC by the end of the year, the PDP might not accept the results of governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states slated for November and December respectively.
In response to Metuh’s call, Mr Jasper Veen, Resident Country Director, NDI, who described political parties as fundamental building blocks of any nation, urged political parties to strengthen their internal democracy.
“If you get right parties internal democracy, other democratic issues will be addressed,” Veen said.
He added that for any country’s democracy to function well, its political parties and civil society organisations must interact effectively.
Mr Sentell Barnes, the Resident Programme Officer, Nigeria, said the institute and the US had been involved in series of programmes to promote credible elections in Nigeria.
Barnes said US government and IRI were interested in promoting democratic tenets and independence of electoral institutes in Nigeria.
The National Democratic Institute for International Affairs was created by the US to deepen democratic culture and to channel grants for furthering
democracy in developing nations.
The International Republican Institute is a United Nations-partner organisation that conducts international political and institutional programmes.