Opposition parties and their presidential candidates on Wednesday berated the Peoples Democratic Party for its refusal to sign the reviewed code of conduct guiding campaigns and behavior of candidates for the April general elections.
The Congress for Progressive Change and the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties said the PDP’s rejection of the code of conduct was a testimonial to its do-or-die approach to elections.
“It is in their character and that is why they are not keen on signing the document. Their do-or-die posture in approaching election matters is manifesting itself with this behaviour. The voters should note what is happening,” the spokesman for the CPC presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.), Mr. Yinka Odumakoin, said.
Forty-six political parties had on Tuesday signed the code of conduct jointly drafted by the Independent National Political Parties and the Inter-party Advisory Council. The council consists of all political parties.
The code reads in part, “Political parties and their agents shall not engage in any of the following corrupt practices--- forcible occupation or invasion of a polling station, collation centre and INEC office.”
“No political party or candidate shall use its power of incumbency to prevent other parties or candidates from pasting their posters or distributing their leaflets, handbills and other publicity materials in public places.
“All political parties shall file with the Commission details of their public rallies and meetings in any particular area prior to such meetings.
“All parties shall separate party business from government business. As such, parties shall not utilize public resources for party activities and shall not permit any of its sponsored candidates holding public office to use public resources for the purpose of political campaigning in elections.”
The PDP, meanwhile, said it was not under any obligation to sign the document, though it said its members delegated to the signing ceremony would still brief the National Working Committee of the party on what transpired between them and INEC officials.
While 46 parties signed the code, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Abubakar Baraje, who represented the PDP at the signing ceremony in Abuja on Tuesday refused to sign the document. Baraje said he had no mandate of his party to sign the document.
Criticising the PDP, Odumakin said the ruling party was responsible for the lawlessness in the country.
“It is the PDP that is responsible for the impunity in the land. We will however not pressure on INEC to force the PDP to sign, but we will do that to the electorate to take a definite stand by voting out the PDP in the April elections” he said.
Also, the presidential candidate of Action Congress of Nigeria, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, said he was surprised that the PDP as the ruling party did not sign the code of conduct.
Ribadu, who spoke through the Director of Media and Publicity of his campaign organization, Ibrahim Modibo, said, “If it is true that the PDP did not sign the code of conduct at INEC, then we are amazed that the party has taken this route.
“Electoral integrity comes on a shared agreement on the conduct of election. We hope the President who has advocated for a clean election will call his party to order.
“The party cannot promote the feeling that it has a conduct different from that of INEC which is the statutory agency to regulate the election.” Ibrahim Modibbo said.
The CNPP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, said the PDP as the ruling party should be laying good examples. “They (PDP members) have demonstrated that they believe in do-or-die politics. Their refusal signals dangers ahead. What have they got nothing to showcase in the last 12 years. There are no new refineries, no new roads and teaching hospitals,” he said.
The National Legal Adviser of the PDP, Chief Olusola Oke told one of our correspondents on the telephone on Wednesday that the leadership of the party would listen to Baraje, who represented the party at the occasion and review the content of the conduct, adding that if any section of it is found to be in contradiction with the Electoral Act, the party will jettison the document.
Oke said, “Those that we delegated to the meeting are expected to brief the members of the National Working Committee very soon on the discussion they had with the INEC officials.
“Let me tell you that the document is not compulsory. That is, we are not under any obligation to sign it.
“If we found any section of the code of conduct objectionable or we found any of it contravening the Electoral Act, we will not sign it.
“This is because the Act has stipulated how the election should be conducted and offences for any offence.”
Asked if the party was not bothered with the barrage of criticism that might trail its action on the matter, Oke said the PDP would not allow anyone to push it around.
Asked when the party’s NWC would be meeting on the matter, he said such meeting depended on the ongoing presidential campaign programme of President Goodluck Jonathan.
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