Presidency dismisses claims of Tinubu’s one-party state agenda

Presidency has dismissed reports which claim that President Bola Tinubu is pursuing a a one-party state agenda by appointing perceived ‘loyalists’ as Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) for states in the country.

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga who made the rebuttal in a statement titled; ‘PDP, Atiku Raising False Alarm,’ issued, Monday, also said that his principal’s ’record as a democrat par excellence and an advocate of the rule of law has been globally acknowledged due to his record of service as governor, which witnessed giant strides in various facets of the state.’

”This was responsible for the dominance of his political structure in Lagos and not for any undemocratic conduct, as Atiku Abubakar wants the public to believe.”

Onanuga further berated the main opposition, PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, for becoming ‘overtly desperate to hang their woes on President Tinubu and the judiciary, an important arm of government in Nigeria.’

According to Onanuga, the response followed the opposition’s poor run of some elected governors of the party at the appeal court.

“In blaming others, Atiku and his party have failed to demonstrate whether they had done any soul-searching before going public with their weighty, specious, reckless and irresponsible allegations.

“While we do not hold brief for the judiciary, we urge Nigerians to discountenance the malicious allegations by the PDP and its candidate that President Tinubu as governor of Lagos, silenced the opposition and corrupted the judiciary and that he is planning to foist a one-party state on the country by appointing “loyalists” as Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs).

 “We had witnessed how under his watch the PDP governor in Osun defeated the APC at the Supreme Court. Similarly, the PDP Governor in Bauchi also won his case in the Appeal Court, beating the APC,” the statement read.

Continuing, the President’s spokesperson said: “While Atiku and PDP are now crying wolf over the Appeal Court rulings on governorship polls in Plateau, Zamfara and Nasarawa States, we hasten to ask the former Vice President where he was in 2019 when the court ruled against All Progressives Congress in Zamfara State. The court then awarded all the positions won by the APC to PDP.

“Where was Atiku also in 2019 when in Rivers State, the court stopped APC from fielding any candidate in both the Governorship and House of Assembly elections?

“Where were Atiku and the PDP in 2019, when on the eve of the swearing-in of Bayelsa governor-elect, David Lyon, the Supreme Court handed the victory of the APC to the candidate of the PDP, Governor Diri who was earlier rejected at the poll by the people of Bayelsa?.

“Atiku and the PDP then savoured all these court-handed trophies as sweet victories for the PDP and celebrated the courts as protectors of democracy,” he said.

Onanuga said the same courts are annulling PDP victories, based on the blatant violations of the law by the lawless party, the party is mudslinging the judiciary and Tinubu, as he implored Atiku and PDP to ‘stop their campaign of calumny and blackmail against the judiciary and the honourable judges and justices. Judgments are based on law and evidence. In election petition cases, they are based on the Electoral Act and the Constitution, not on sentiments and emotions.’

It would be recalled that earlier November, the PDP dragged Tinubu to court over the latter’s appointment of a card-carrying member of the APC as the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for Akwa Ibom State.

The REC appointed by President Tinubu for Akwa Ibom State is Etekamba Umoren, accused of being a staunch member of the APC by the PDP.

The suit filed by the PDP Akwa Ibom chapter has the Chairman and Secretary of the state PDP, Aniekan Akpan and Harrison Ekpo, respectively, as plaintiffs, with President Tinubu, the Senate, and Umoren as defendants.

In the suit, filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja and marked FHC/ABJ/CS/146/2023, the plaintiffs provided colored photographs of Umoren wearing APC attire on campaign grounds, along with video clips of him campaigning for the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, while clad in APC clothing.

The PDP leaders are asking the court to declare that “the 1st defendant (President Tinubu) cannot present the 3rd defendant (Umoren) to the 2nd defendant (Senate) for confirmation as REC for Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.”

Furthermore, they seek a court declaration that “the appointment of the 3rd defendant as REC for Akwa Ibom State is unlawful, illegal, unconstitutional, null and void ab initio and of no effect whatsoever.”

The plaintiffs request the court to issue a perpetual injunction restraining the Senate from confirming Umoren as a REC and to prevent Umoren from acting, assuming the office, or representing himself as a REC for Akwa Ibom State.

Earlier, Thursday, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, had held a press conference in Abuja, expressing the party’s objection to Umoren’s appointment as Akwa Ibom State REC. Ologunagba alleged that Umoren’s appointment was part of a strategy by the ruling party to manipulate future elections and maintain its hold on power.

“Of particular concern is the brazen imposition of a card-carrying member and prominent leader of the APC in Akwa Ibom State, Mr Etekamba Umoren, as the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner for Akwa Ibom State, despite the loud and widespread outcry and rejection by Nigerians, and particularly our party, the PDP, and the people of Akwa Ibom State.

“The PDP, therefore, in clear and unequivocal terms rejects the imposition of Etekamba Umoren as INEC REC for Akwa Ibom State being conceived in iniquity and in flagrant violation of the express provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act, 2022 and the universal demand of impartiality and non-partisanship of an electoral body and its officials,” the party said.

According to the PDP spokesperson, Umoren’s appointment is a severe blow to the credibility of INEC as a cornerstone of democracy and the integrity of the electoral procedure, in addition to being a ‘provocative and contentious violation of the autonomy, trustworthiness, and standing of the electoral framework.’

“Etekamba Umoren should therefore steer clear of INEC office in Akwa Ibom State. President Bola Tinubu should immediately commence the process of appointing a neutral Resident Electoral Commissioner for Akwa Ibom State so as to avert crisis and illegitimacy in future elections in the state,” he said.

No date has been fixed for hearing of the suit.

It would be recalled that, last Wednesday, the Senate confirmed the appointments of seven out of the ten RECs nominated by Tinubu, including Umoren.