Date Published: 11/12/09

12 th November 2009.

Press Release.

“DAVID MARK’S UTTERANCES SHOW THE PDP IS NOT SERIOUS ABOUT ELECTORAL REFORMS”, SAYS LAGOS AC.

The Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress has said that it is obvious that the PDP will resist every effort to reform the electoral process because of its projected interests in future elections. The party said it took this position because of the consistent and unflagging defence of the PDP hierarchy for the 2007 massive electoral fraud and the perpetrator of that fraud, Maurice Iwu.

In a release in Lagos, signed by the party’s Lagos State Publicity Secretary of the AC, Joe Igbokwe, Lagos AC says it cannot reconcile the studious defense of the last shambolic farce called 2007 elections with PDP’s hypocritical support for electoral reform. The party said the fanatical support of the Senate President, David Mark for both the electoral farce of 2007 and the conductor, Maurice Iwu, is proof that the PDP will never allow the reform of the electoral process.

“While we understand David Mark’s position, given that he is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the monumental electoral heist of April 2007, we insist that such men as David Mark will do anything to ensure they continue reaping where they never sowed in the Nigerian electoral system. At the same time, we do not understand the PDP’s loud profession of commitment to electoral reform with the insistence of their top hierarchy that the farcical 2007 elections is impeccable and the person responsible for that shameful act that brought so much odium on Nigeria is blameless.

“We cannot reconcile PDP’s penchant to appropriate rotten fruits of electoral fraud with any effort that may improve the system to guarantee that the votes of the people count either in 2011 or forever. The lethargic manner the electoral reform process has been handled and the tardiness so far shown by the PDP federal government has shown that Nigerians may not have any free and fair election either now or in the foreseeable future, if either the PDP executive or the national assembly should lead the process of ensuring reforms in the electoral process.  We are proven right by the audacious and reckless manner the top hierarchy of the PDP, either at the executive level or the national assembly has been going about vigorously seeking to reverse the unfortunate experience Nigerians had in April 2007 with a view to whitewashing the rotten process or exculpating the culprits that committed that brazen act.

“Lagos AC is not shocked that a senate president that was miraculously thrust into power by a deft reversal of the victory of his political opponent, is going about mounting strident campaigns to obfuscate the issue so as to ensure that the same process that unduly rewarded him is retained, together with the very characters that perpetrated that large scale electoral fraud. We know that the PDP and the Marks still look up to the same sullied process and characters to reward with another large scale fraud in 2011 hence their desperate defence of Iwu and the charade he perpetrated.

“We want to re-state the fact that any credible electoral process starts with the removal of Iwu and his prosecution for the 2007 electoral scam as well as the undoing of the house of scam, with which he and his leadership have besmeared the electoral process since he came on board. The electoral process does not need men of straw who see themselves as partisan politicians and have vested interests to project. It does not need men without character who employs the electoral process to reward equally deficient characters who employ their high offices to deepen fraud and rot.

“We advise David Mark to prepare to face the people with his programs and visions for their progress instead of hoping to continue benefitting from electoral fraud. While we admit that such men as Mark will ever work towards electoral reform in this country, we call on all Nigerians to prepare to wedge a war for their electoral rights to decide who governs them. We want them not to trust on such impostors as David Mark to bring about any meaningful electoral reforms in Nigeria. Being still ingratiated to the shady process and characters that helped him to power, he has consistently shown that he will do anything to frustrate genuine electoral reforms in Nigeria so as to retain the process of his emergence and the shameless people that helped him to unmerited power.”

Joe Igbokwe

Publicity Secretary,

Lagos AC.