Former Nigerian Vice President and chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar has seen the state of emergency in Adamawa state as a strong factor that could work against successful conduct of gubernatorial election scheduled to hold in the state on October 11, even as he called for an urgent meeting of critical stakeholders in the state to address the matter.
He said that in order to ensure a free and fair governorship election in the state on the scheduled date, an urgent parley of Adamawa critical stakeholders comprising the major political parties, security agencies, Adamawa State Government, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), civil society and election observers and religious as well as traditional rulers is necessary.
The former Vice President who is also the Turakin of Adamawa made the call in a statement in Abuja against the backdrop of the prevailing state of emergency which many people fear can suffocation the sovereignty of the people.
Atiku Abubakar noted that his call for emergency stakeholders’ followed the results of NOI Polls which revealed that 55 percent of adult Nigerians wanted the emergency rule imposed on three states in the North-east region lifted during the 2015 elections.
According to the former Vice President, 72 percent of those surveyed from the region advocated for the lifting of the emergency rule for the purposes of the 2015 election in the states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.
Atiku said that the envisaged meeting should be able to fashion out modalities for ensuring a free and fair election in an emergency rule in Adamawa State.
He said that the Adamawa situation could be used as a fore runner of the 2015 elections, even as he expressed the imperative of providing adequate security in the state, especially with the peculiar situation presented by the emergency rule.
Atiku Abubakar observed that the prevailing emergency rule may pose difficulties, if not impossible for voters in the state to perform their civic rights of franchise.
He said that apart from hindering the people of the state the freedom to cast their ballots, the rights of free movement and association, which ordinarily afford people opportunity to attend political rallies and gatherings would be compromised under an emergency rule.
He said that the emergency rule in the state also calls to question, the expected level playing ground, which the government is supposed to provide for all political parties participating in the election since the Federal Government is also an interested party in the election through the participation of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The former Vice President stressed the need to balance all the conditions precedent in the state ahead of the October 11 governorship election in the interest of democracy, justice and fair-play. [myad]
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