Mustapha Isah Kwaru
9 April 2002
The Alliance for De-mocracy (AD) has kicked against the conduct of local government elections on May 18 as proposed by State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs).
The AD National Chairman, Alhaji Ahmed Abdulkadir, explained the party's position in an interview with BBC Hausa Service yesterday.
He said May 18, barely six weeks from now, is not enough time for the authentication and compilation of voters register in accordance with the constitution.
He stated that INEC would also not have enough time to screen all candidates for the polls, saying that the electoral body needed at least three months to complete all the constitutional requirements for the conduct of the elections.
"If the election is conducted without following the rules and regulations as contained in the constitution, whoever is declared winner would be challenged in court by his opponents. This will result to disagreement and crisis, he maintained.
The AD chairman further cautioned state governors against conducting elections that will impede on the rights of Nigerians.
"It will amount to the violation of the rights of the citizens if the governors should go ahead and conduct council polls without a proper and authenticated voters register," he declared The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had given its nod for the May 18 date for the conduct of the council polls.
While okaying the decision of the SIECs to hold council polls on May 18, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Venatius Ikem, said on Sunday that guidelines for the selection of the party's flagbearers to the polls will be released during the week.
He dismissed the argument that the elections be postponed for lack of a new voters register warning that any postponement is "an invitation to chaos."
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