APC Registration: ACN Accuses INEC, PDP of Deceit

APC Registration: ACN Accuses INEC, PDP of Deceit

 

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Tuesday accused both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of engaging in lies and manipulation of facts by claiming that the phantom African Peoples Congress (APC) has applied to the commission for registration.

The party said its findings have revealed that the phantom political party with the same abbreviation as APC has not complied with the legal provisions for the application of party registration but that it was

merely being used as a ploy to destabilise the genuine efforts of the opposition coalition to form a merger.

Their disappointment notwithstanding, THISDAY learnt Tuesday that the leaders of the opposition merging parties are already making arrangements to change the name of their party as a fallback option, in the event they fail to secure INEC’s approval for the name of their party – All Progressives Congress (APC).

But in another swift reaction to the ACN and its coalition partners, the PDP Tuesday described the inability of the merging parties to duly register the proposed name of their party before embarking on a jamboree and propaganda as the hallmark of political naivety, lack of planning and a foreboding that the party will drive Nigeria to the socio-economic brink should it be entrusted with power.

In a statement issued in Abuja by ACN National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said INEC’s claim as articulated by Mr. Kayode Idowu, spokesman of the commission, was not supported by the relevant sections of the Electoral Act regulating the registration of political parties.

It said the truth of the matter is that no party today with the abbreviation APC has applied to INEC to be registered, adding that even the phantom African Peoples Congress, which is being sponsored by the PDP to lay claim to the abbreviation, has only written a letter of intent.

“This has not even been discussed by INEC, not to talk of the commission taking any decision on it.

“The statement credited to Mr. Idowu is therefore reckless and provocative and clearly betrays INEC as truly having merged with the PDP to frustrate the merger of the progressives under the banner of the All Progressives' Congress (APC).

“One wonders who the spokesman is speaking for and what interest he represents. He should therefore be called to order before he sets the country ablaze,” ACN said.

While debunking INEC's claim that the phantom African Peoples Congress has applied for registration, ACN made references to the sections of the Electoral Act regarding party registration.

It said Part V Political Parties of the Electoral Act, Section 78 (1) states:

“A political association that complies with the provision of the Constitution and this Act for the purposes of registration shall be registered as a political party, provided that such application shall be duly submitted to the Commission not later than 6 months before a general election.

“Section 78 (2) states: The Commission shall on receipt of the documents in fulfilment of the conditions stipulated by the Constitution immediately issue the applicant with a letter of acknowledgement stating that all necessary documents have been submitted to the Commission.”

The party explained that in the present case, the applicants on behalf of the phantom African Peoples Congress, the clients of Legal World Chambers, have not submitted any of the documents stipulated by the constitution to the commission.

It said the chambers had only written a letter of intent and therefore INEC could not have issued them any letter of acknowledgment, not to talk of starting the process of verifying the documents.

“At this point, they cannot even be regarded as applicants. Why then did INEC through its spokesperson gleefully go to the media to proclaim that another political association has applied to be registered as African Peoples Congress using the same abbreviation APC?

“Clearly INEC is on a mission of mischief and its paymaster is PDP which has been having sleepless nights since the merger arrangement was announced,” ACN alleged.

The party also drew the attention to Section 78 (6) of the Electoral Act, which states: “An application for registration as a political party shall not be processed unless there is evidence of payment of the administrative fee as may be fixed from time to time by the Commission.”

ACN said it was aware that the applicants in question have not even paid any administrative fees and therefore INEC could not have commenced processing their application, because there is no application before INEC as they have only written a letter of intent.

“The INEC spokesperson who announced to the world that another political association has applied to be registered as APC is therefore definitely being paid by the PDP to mislead Nigerians, subvert extant regulations and scuttle the proposed merger of the ACN, ANPP, APGA and CPC.

“He should immediately be called to order before he sets the country ablaze,” the party said.

ACN added that INEC has had a constructive knowledge of the merger plan and the existence of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for a long time, going by statements credited to the INEC spokesman both in the print and the electronic media.

It said on February 17, 2013, Idowu was quoted to have said in a news story in the Punch newspaper, that the All Progressives' Congress (APC) remained a political association, even though it is yet to be recognised by the commission.

“By law, we do not expect APC to come to INEC. The political parties that are fusing into another party will individually and respectively come back to INEC, notifying us that they are fusing into a party with a new identity,” ACN quoted Idowu to have told the paper.

“The same Idowu also told TVC news on February 8, 2013 that INEC was expecting the leadership of the All Progressives Congress to apply for formal documentation.

“With these statements, it is clear that INEC has always had a constructive knowledge of the All Progressives' Congress (APC) since the merger plan started, and that the emerging party did not have to do anything until all the component parties have held their conventions and ratified the constitution, manifesto and logo of the APC,” ACN said.

According to ACN, what has emerged over the registration issue is that INEC is in cahoots with the PDP to stampede the merging parties to commit errors and also intimidate them to drop the abbreviation APC.

Meanwhile, as part of the damage control measures, leaders of the opposition coalition began secret consultations to consider a new party name as a means circumventing any plot to stall the opposition merger.

By Tuesday, leaders of the merging parties kept the venue of their meeting top secret, although there were indications that one of the ACN governors might have volunteered to host the meeting.

Also, the merger committees of the parties were forced to halt their deliberations on the constitution and manifesto of the new party in order to attend to the problem created by the clash of party abbreviations.

Commenting on the issue also, Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State Tuesday said that INEC could not afford not to register the All Progressive Congress as a political party because doing so would expose it to accusations of bias.

Oshiomhole said the merger by political parties is a right, which cannot be violated by any institution.

“I know that it is the right of political parties to merge. We have merged to form APC, All Progressives Congress, so if people choose to trivialise it, it is up to them.

“I know that the Independent National Electoral Commission will register APC because if they don’t, they will leave themselves open to accusations.

“In a genuine democracy, it is in our interest for those in power and those out of power, to create a viable alternative platform for people to make an informed choice. No party is too good to rule forever, nor is any party too bad to be out of power forever,” he said.

Despite the recriminations and aspersions being cast on the PDP, the party Tuesday dismissed the inability of the leaders of the proposed All Progressives Congress to duly reserve or register the proposed name of their party.

A statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, said the reality on the ground had shown that the leaders of the opposition parties have all the while been grandstanding, writing footnotes and a glossary, even when the first chapter of their history was yet to be successfully written.

“Nigerians are here confronted with an irony! It is an irony of a political party, which without adequate planning, without a solid working rhythm, yet wishes to be entrusted to its effete, shaky shoulders, the fate of over 160 million Nigerians.

“Fortunately, Nigerians are witnessing first hand, the thoughtlessness and carelessness of the self-acclaimed political Messiahs, a forewarning that the nation, her people and our democracy are all in jeopardy should they be entrusted with power.

“How can a group which could not conclude the basics, as in due registration of its name, be able to manage the affairs of Nigeria at this moment of critical challenge?" the statement asked.

“At the basics,” it added, “the APC and its conjugants – ACN, CPC, ANPP and others – have once more advertised their boastful and deceitful predilection.

“Who would have imagined that their coalition was yet to be registered before its leaders started throwing the red rag to the bull?"

The PDP further said Nigerians have clearly seen the lies in the repeated claims by the coalition that some PDP governors and National Assembly members were planning to join them.(THISDAYLIVE)