|
En nu? Geen verkiezing zaterdag? |
 |
 |
 |
|
Nieuws -
Nigeria - algemeen
|
|
Wednesday, 18 April 2007 03:34 |
|
Dit land blijft op politiek gebied enorm boeien. Zo lees ik vanmorgen op internet dat de oppositie de verkiezingen van afgelopen zaterdag nietig wil verklaren. Dat is op zich niet zo vreemd voor oppositie, echter ze willen ook de president verkiezingen van zaterdag frustreren en het lijkt erop dat ze dat ook gaat lukken. Lees het artikel maar; OPPOSITION parties yesterday called for the indefinite postponement of the presidential election slated for this Saturday.
At the meeting they called with a view to fashioning a common strategy against the ruling and seeming all-conquering People's Democratic Party (PDP), they also called for cancellation of the governorship and state Assembly polls conducted last Saturday.
The meeting, which got under way at about noon, one hour behind schedule, was attended by some notable candidates, including the presidential candidate of the Action Congress (AC) and Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who was attending the meeting for the first time had to break to enable members reconvene at 8.pm last night to take decision on the contending question.
Among others who attended the meeting were the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) candidate and Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Dalhatu Attahiru Bafarawa, as well as his counterparts in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Prof. Pat Utomi; Yahaya Ndu of the African Renaissance Party (ARP) and Emmanuel Osita Okereke of the African Liberation Party (ALP).
Yesterday's meeting was a follow-up to the first one which took place at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja last week Thursday and was expected to draw up the reactions of the coalition to the unfolding development on the political scene. During the meeting, a technical committee headed by Utomi was set up to fashion out the modalities for the opposition parties to what they alleged was the recklessness of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Besides, as confirmed by Buhari, himself last week, yesterday's meeting would have attempted to work on possible consensus presidential candidate, but a source at the meeting said the Monday Supreme Court judgment in favour of the Atiku had altered the equation.
Briefing reporters shortly after more than three hours behind closed doors, Utomi said the parley had not been able to take a decision yet on some issues, which necessitated the adjournment for 8.pm last night, after which members would agree on the wordings of a press statement.
However, The Guardian learnt that the meeting was actually adjourned to accommodate the interests of both proponents and opponents of boycotting the elections coming up on Saturday. It was also said that the Utomi-led committee actually advocated shunning of the elections, having noticed the poor conduct of the governorship and state Assemblies elections.
But the Buhari group, on the other hand disagreed with the position, rationalising that a boycott would rather enable the PDP to perfect more rigging. Besides, they also argued that, it was not in the constitution as to the number of voters that were required for an election to be valid.
It was further learnt that it was on the strength of the position of Utomi group, that spurred Atiku to attend the meeting, having declared in a radio interview the day earlier that he would not be present at the meeting, but that he would send his running mate, Senator Ben Obi.
Abubakar, who arrived at the venue of the meeting at about 12.30 p.m, first went into Buhari's suite at the hotel before coming down to the Kaduna Hall, where the meeting took place. Accompanying the Vice-President were Senator Obi and Chief Bisi Akande, the AC National Chairman.
The Vice-President, however, left the venue barely 30 minutes after. Sources said he had to leave because the sitting arrangement did not favour his staying for a longer period because of his bad leg.
|
