Enyinnaya Appolos
eappolos@gmail.com
IT is finished. The battle is over. The will of God and moral justice has prevailed over plots by some malcontents who spent huge amount of tax payers money to frustrate the registration of the United Progressives Party (UPP) as a political party in Nigeria with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The evil plots by the disgruntled elements was responsible for the delay and violation of various laws by the Professor Attahiru Jega led INEC in the registration of the UPP.
Against the 30 days window provided by law for a party to commence operation after INEC’s inspection and verification exercises of the proposed political party, it took INEC more than five months to approve UPP.
As if that was not enough, it took the INEC’s Secretary Alhaji Abdullahi A. Kaugama, a month to sign the approval letter of UPP after it was approved by the board of the commission.
UPP was approved on Tuesday 2, October and the letter of approval was written on the 4th, two days after. But Kaugama reluctantly signed the letter on the 31 of October for reasons only known to him.
INEC’s dated October 4, and addressed to UPP national chairman reads:
“The Commission, at its meeting held on Tuesday 2nd October, 2012 approved the registration of the UNITED PROGRESSIVE PARTY as a Political Party.
“The Party Constitution, Manifesto, Logo/Flag and the list of its National Executive Officers were also approved.
“The Certificate of Registration will be issued in due course.
“Please accept the assurance of my high esteem.
“Congratulations.”
How can any right thinking person explain this disrespect and disregard for the law by INEC and its officials? If a secretary of INEC can, flagrantly decide when to sign a letter approved by the board, a messenger in INEC can also decided when to deliver it and nothing will happen.
Yesterday it was UPP, tomorrow it will be another party. This impunity must stop.
Stakeholders in the electoral system must rise against this abuse of office by INEC and its officials.
With a resolute and dogged national chairman, like Chief Chekwas Okorie, a man who knows what it takes to grow and manage a political party, a grassroot politician, and teaming membership of the party across the nation, it is not in doubt that UPP will surely change the political equation in Nigeria.
Here I reproduce a statement issued by the party on Wednesday and signed by its national publicity secretary, Chief Ogbuehi Dike.
“…We are delighted to inform the public that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approved the registration of United Progressive Party (UPP) with the head of the tiger as its symbol, to function as a full fledged political party and participate in all political activities in the country henceforth.
“The registration of UPP by the Commission was conveyed to us via INEC letter reference number INEC/DPPM&L/UPP/446/Vol.1/167 dated 4th October,
2012 signed by the Secretary of the Commission, Alhaji Abdullahi A.
Kaugama.
“United Progressive Party is unique in the sense that it is designed to be a mass movement belonging essentially to Nigerian masses without the claim of any known or unknown cabal to its origin, formation or ownership.
“UPP is the product of the special circumstance in which Nigerian citizens found themselves having been alienated from the control and democratic choice of popular leadership and representation by the existing political parties that are in the firm grip of cabals of different conspiracies and gangs.
“We are conscious of the challenges that confront an emerging political party in a seeming crowded political arena such as the situation in Nigeria today.
“We are resolutely determined and committed to hit the ground running and to carry out strong message of hope and political liberation to every nook and cranny of Nigeria.
“In addition to canvassing vigorously our progressive political ideology as encapsulated in our party manifesto, we promise in our honour to observe and implement the highest culture of internal party democracy at all levels in consonance with our fundamental principle of citizen based political party.
“In UPP power truly belongs to the people and it is ordained by God. We believe that the voice of the people is the voice of God.
“By the emergence of United Progressive Party the Nigerian political equation will be altered for the better. The UPP factor is a critical factor in the political calculations of the country leading to the 2015 general election and beyond.
“In the next couple of weeks, the inaugural National Executive Committee (NEC) of UPP as a registered political party will be convened and a very robust political programme and policy thrust of the party will be unfolded to the public. Watch out for “the real mccoy.”