CNPP shuns Yar’Adua’s planned parley on LG polls

Lanre Adewole, Abuja - 25.12.2007

The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) on Sunday in Abuja said it would not participate in a meeting called by President Umaru Yar’Adua over the controversial local government elections held in some states recently.

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, the group directed all its members and associates to shun the proposed parley, which it described as medicine after death.

It also called for the suspension of the elevation of some High Court judges to the Court of Appeal, to allow them finish with the hearing of the petitions arising from the last general elections, while it also advocated a probe by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) into an allegation by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Umaru Abdullahi, that some politicians were trying to bribe judges handling election petitions.

“Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) rose from an emergency meeting on December 22 in Abuja and resolved to call on all our members and associates to boycott the meeting proposed by President Umaru Yar’Adua over the sham local council polls.

“We also call on the National Judicial Council to hold on the promotion of justices either to the Appeal Court or the Supreme Court pending the disposal of election petitions across the country.

“CNPP is making this call based on the fact that the meeting is not only medicine after death, but will not achieve anything meaningful. It is only meant to lend credence to an orchestra of deception being mounted deliberately to deceive gullible Nigerians by the President and his spin doctors. Does it make sense to close the stable when the horses had bolted?

“Otherwise, how come that President Yar’Adua who, as the leader of his party, ignored all appeals to use the over 800 state Houses of Assembly members out of 990, 260 House of Representatives out of 360 and 86 senators out of 109 awarded to his party in the April 2007 sham elections to amend the relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution, to guarantee free, fair and transparent election?” the statement read.