•Metuh: criticises President Buhari

With several months still left for the conduct of the governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states, the Peoples Democratic Party has threatened to reject the results.

The party’s publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh made the threat during a visit to US’ National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute in Abuja.

Metuh’s reason was that the acting chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, Mrs Amina Bala Zakari, ‘had a close relationship’ with President Muhammadu Buhari.

“PDP will find it difficult to accept outcome of any election if it loses any election under Zakari’’, Metuh added. The Bayelsa poll is due on 5 December, two weeks after the Kogi election, Both states are under the control of PDP governors.

Metuh also accused Buhari of other ‘democracy offences’. One of them was that Buhari failed to include PDP members as part of his entourage for the four day visit to the United States. President Buhari would leave Abuja for Washington on 19 July. The other was what Metuh called as a plan by the President and his party to detain, the deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, a PDP member over an alleged rule of the senate used to conduct his election

Metuh said PDP, having ruled Nigeria for 16 years, expected that respect for separation of power and other democratic agencies would continue.

Metuh said he was at the institutes to express PDP’s worries over some of the issues happening to the Nigeria democracy within the last two months.

“We are worried about attempt by our government to harass and influence the detention of the Senate’s Deputy President, Ike Ekweremadu,’’ Metuh said.
The People Democratic Party (PDP), has called on the United States of America and the international community to advise President Muhamadu Buhari and the ruling party to observe the tenets of democracy.

The PDP spokesman also criticised the President of sidelining other political parties in his governance; saying he has chosen to be travelling abroad with only his party members contrary to previous practice.

“The reason these issues are being raised now is that in less than one week, our President will be visiting USA.

“It will be necessary at this point for it to be stressed to him that he should observe the tenets of democracy in Nigeria’’, Metuh said.

Metuh commended the institutes’ contributions to Nigeria’s democratic development, and called for their partnership of PDP in opposition.

Mr Jasper Veen, Resident Country Director, NDI, who described political parties as fundamental building blocks of any nation, urged political parties to strengthen their internal democracy.

“If you get right parties internal democracy, other democratic issues will be addressed’’, Veen said.

He added that for any country’s democracy to function well, its political parties and civil society organisations must interact effectively.

Mr Sentell Barnes, the Resident Programme Officer, Nigeria, said the institute and the US had been involved in series of programmes to promote credible elections in Nigeria.

Barnes said US government and IRI were interested in promoting democratic tenets and independence of electoral institutes in Nigeria.

The National Democratic Institute for International Affairs was created by the US to deepen democratic culture and to channel grants for furthering democracy in developing nations.

The International Republican Institute is a United Nations-partner organisation that conducts international political and institutional programmes.