Date Published: 04/29/10

29th April 2010.

Press Release.

Iwu’s Removal, Good Riddance to Absolute Rubbish.

The Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress has welcomed the removal of the Maurice Iwu as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission. The party described the removal as good riddance to absolute and just about the signal Nigerians needed to start reinvesting faith the badly mangled electoral process.

In a release in Lagos, signed by the Lagso State Publicity Secretary of the AC, Joe Igbokwe, Lagos AC says a proper and adequate probe must be conducted on Iwu’s tenure as INEC chairman as that will help to ensure the nation never walks into the type of electoral scam the past INEC leadership perpetrated. The party therefore insists that only a fit, proper, honest and credible Nigerian, preferable from the civil society should be appointed the new INEC chairman if the Acting President wants to live true to his promise of a free and fair election in the country.

“Iwu became such an obstruction to good electoral conduct to the extent that his persona became adequate put-off to Nigerians who cannot reconcile his cavalier partisanship to any hope for a credible electoral process. After the shambolic manner the 2007 general election was deliberately mishandled and violently rigged in favour of the PDP, we believe that Iwu’s continued stay as INEC chairman was targeted as a mere reward for the despicable manner he corruptly helped the PDP to another electoral heist. We note that everyday Iwu stayed and did everything foul and uncouth to remain as INEC chairman, assaulted the sensibilities of Nigerians and mocked the anti-corruption commitment of the government as that detestable epoch lasted.

“Lagos AC calls for a deep and comprehensive probe of INEC under Iwu, especially as it involves reckless use of tax payers money to promote base personal ends by the former INEC chairman. We urge a comprehensive probe of such ill fated scams as the electronic voter’s registration scandals that ended abruptly as soon as it satiated the desires for free cash for some people and their cronies. We urge for a full EFCC probe of cash movements that were used to decide the 2007 elections and also frivolous spending by the Iwu leadership to curry propagandists, hire and rent crowds for selfish demonstrations and ensure that the future INEC chairman does not continue running INEC as a scammers’ heaven as Iwu did.

“We demand that a credible Nigerian, with proven integrity be appointed the new INEC chairman and such a person would leverage his huge credibility to the conduct of a free and fair election in 2011. We state that nothing would be achieved if the reports of the Mohammed Uwais Electoral Reform Panel is not quickly adopted as a working document to guide the new INEC leadership in the conduct of future elections. While we urge Acting President Jonathan to do the needful by appointing a credible INEC chairman and quickly working to give teeth to the ERP report, we urge all Nigerians, to be on their toes to pressure for democratic change and reforms to ensure we do not walk into the same trap Iwu and his co-partners in electoral fraud set for us. We urge continued vigilance to ensure that we have the people as the deciding factor in the 2011 general elections.”

Joe Igbokwe.

Publicity Secretary,

Lagos AC.