By Ifedayo Adebayo
March 17, 2010 03:21AM
A planned workshop to be organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission has been described as a distraction meant to influence Acting President Goodluck Jonathan’s position on the Justice Mohammed Uwais-led Committee’s report on electoral reform, the Save Nigeria Group said in a statement on Monday.
The group, in the statement signed six of its members, Yinka Odumakin, Salihu Lukman, Buba Galadima, Osita Okechukwu, Mike Igini and Tanko Yunusa, said Nigerians cannot allow such an action “at this time that all effort should be to encourage Acting President Goodluck Jonathan to take concrete and radical action on the Uwais Report.”
It called for the removal of Maurice Iwu as the election body’s head.
“It has become clear to every truthful and concerned Nigerian that the INEC under Maurice Iwu’s leadership has outlived its usefulness, and what is remained of it is to prepare its book and handover to a credible and trusted electoral management body established according to the recommendations of the Uwais Report,” it stated.
No lesson learnt
It, however, observed that “there is nothing wrong for INEC, even as discredited and incompetent as it is, to organise workshops for capacity building and enlightenment if it is a genuine effort to transform itself,” but said that the body under Mr. Iwu “will learn nothing because it refuses to admits its colossal moral and practical failures. It is simply irredeemable and should be disbanded as soon as possible.”
The group urged Mr. Jonathan to shun series of attempt to distract and confuse him, saying that he has won deserved praise for his non-interference in recent elections under his watch.
“He should not sully his reputation by attending Iwu’s misbegotten workshop.
“His attendance at such a workshop will be a political miscalculation that may dent the people’s faith in him as a leader who is prepared to push hard on electoral reform.
“His most immediate act should be to reconstitute a new electoral management body in the light of the Uwais Report. This begins with keeping a clear distance from Professor Iwu’s INEC.”
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