Poll: Falana, others say no to further shift
A group of pro-democracy activists, Nigerians United for Democracy (NUD), yesterday vowed to resist further attempt to shift this year’s elections.
The group led by Lagos lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), staged a road rally in Lagos to underscore its preparedness for a showdown with anyone who may want to abort the polls.
The rally took the activists from Maryland Roundabout to Ojota.
They carried placards and banners with such inscriptions as : ‘Remember June 12’ ;‘Don’t politicise INEC’; ‘On March 28, 2015 we stand’; ‘No more excuses’; ‘No interim government’; ‘Bring back our girls’; ‘Jega is not your employee;’ and ‘No to military rule again in Nigeria’.
Falana told The Nation on Sunday at the rally that the group would mobilise Nigerians to oppose and resist any fresh attempt to postpone the elections.
Of the rally, he said: “We are here on the platform of an organisation called Nigerians United for Democracy (NUD) to demand for the elections because there are indications that the elections may be cancelled.
“We want to pressurise the Jonathan administration not to frustrate the INEC from conducting the general elections. We do not want any further postponement. We want the government to respect and recognise the democratic rights of the Nigerian people to vote for candidates of their choice.
“We are here to sound a note of warning that we are going to mobilise the whole country if they insist on any further postponement of the elections.”
He stated that the decision of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to shift the elections from February to March without consulting with the people was undemocratic.
He said the unfolding political situation in the country requires the involvement of all Nigerians.
“The challenge of today is your challenge, it is ours; it is our collective responsibility to respond,” he said.
“No government since 1960 has ever defeated the Nigerian people; all the governments that attempted to truncate the democratic process were chased out of power. Even military dictators could not frustrate the democratic process. So once we mobilise Nigerians to demand for democracy, no force can defeat them.”
Falana also asked the military to steer clear of politics as it is not their business to determine when elections should be conducted.
“Just like other Nigerians, they have the fundamental right to vote for the candidates of their choice but they have no right to tell INEC when to hold elections and when not to hold elections,” he stated.
“Elections were held in Syria, Afghanistan, and Libya. What will be the excuse for not holding elections in Nigeria. In Yobe State local government elections were held in 2013 and there was no incident. The president was in Maiduguri to campaign, Buhari too, and there were no incidents. So why should they stop elections because of insurgency?”
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