PRESS STATEMENT

ACTION CONGRESS

(UK CHAPTER)

8b Coldharbour Lane London SE5 9PR

Tel:  020 7733 3339

Web: www.actioncongressuk.org     Email:info@actioncongressuk.org

 

 

CELEBRATING WITH THE PEOPLE OF EDO STATE

 

The entire membership of Action Congress United Kingdom, celebrate the bold and courageous reversal of the daylight robbery perpetrated against our candidate, Comrade Adam Oshiomole, the people of Edo State and Nigeria by Maurice Iwu’s INEC at the 14th April 2007 Governorship elections.  The tribunal judgment has been rightly acclaimed by both local and international commentators.  The industry and diligence exhibited by the judges was exemplary when compared to the unpatriotic laziness exhibited by their colleagues who sat at the presidential election tribunal (and elsewhere) whose pronouncements have been abysmally at variance with the weight of evidence before them. 

 

We salute the decisiveness of the judges involved in dispensing with the issues at the centre of this case, namely, that a grave injustice was perpetrated against the people of Edo State by an agency supposedly empowered with state funds to be an unbiased umpire in our choice of political leaders.  Their painstaking and in-depth analysis of the evidence presented is a re-assurance that there is always a judicial remedy to the pervasive culture of impunity often exhibited by delinquent politicians in collaboration with unpatriotic INEC officials hell-bent on tampering with the will of the people.  As we have stated and called for in the past, all those who posted on Nigerians the ignoble badge of a people incapable of organising a simple election must be brought before the law of the land. Organising a free and fair election is not rocket science.  All that is required is that those put in charge be men and women of integrity who will discharge their duties professionally and without bias or favour.  The monumental failure and fraud that characterised the April 2007 elections are traceable to two people, namely General Olusegun Obasanjo and his puppet Professor Maurice Iwu.  In civilised cultures the world over, even a single reversal would have been reason enough for the resignation of the head of the electoral body.  Not our Maurice.  Despite 7 gubernatorial and several legislative election reversals, he has never stopped telling the rest of us how wonderfully he performed, stating at every opportunity that elections were not meant to be perfect.  We add our voice to the call for the immediate removal of this man Iwu.  He is an incompetent who should not be given such a hallowed opportunity ever again.  He should not be the one to oversee the election re-runs.  We also call for a full judicial inquiry into the elections, reportedly the worst ever by local and international monitors.

 

As a Nigerian political party in the diaspora, we are happy that the Nigerian judiciary has men and women who will not shy away from taking the difficult decisions dictated by the evidence before them.  Through them, our country’s image, highly damaged in the aftermath of the charade of April 2007, is being restored.  Now the world knows that not all Nigerians are lacking in the basic tenets of democratic norms.

 

We like to express our dismay to learn that President Yar Adua has re-issued the infamous ‘do-or-die’ directive to PDP members in relation to the series of forth-coming election re-runs.  Our advice to all opposition candidates is to take this directive seriously and prepare their rank and file for the battle by equipping them with the skill and resources for a  thorough and comprehensive election monitoring, mandate guard and evidence gathering – in case it becomes necessary to head back to the tribunal again.

 

We rejoice with Comrade Adam Oshiomole, the new Governor of Edo state for his determination to see that the will of the people of Edo state is respected and that the essence of democracy is restored as the beacon of hope to all our peoples. We are convinced that his antecedents as a leader of the people speak for him. The real winners are the good and long oppressed people of Edo State.

 

CONGRATULATIONS OUR DEAR COMRADE, ON YOUR ASCENSION TO THE GOVERNORSHIP OF EDO STATE.

 

 

Dr Ayo Owoade            Mr Tunde Grillo            Dr Ibrahim Emokpaire

Chairman                    General Secretary         Deputy Chairman

 

25th March 2008