Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has advised politicians to always discourage the snatching of ballot boxes during elections. The act, Lawal said, further discredits Nigerian democracy, adding that election should not be a do-or-die affair.
He spoke in Abuja at the inauguration of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC).
Represented on the occasion by the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the president on political matters, Hon. Gideon Sammani, the SGF commended the immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, for introducing and using what he described as the โmagic card readerโ for the 2015 elections to ensure a free and fair electoral process. His words:
โOur democracy should be clean and contestants should participate in elections without rancour and violence. We should also discourage the practice of snatching the ballot boxes. So we, as government, are developing and improving and I want to believe that as we watch the development, it gives the chance to declare the winners of elections and not those that have stolen the mandate.
โAs we are aware, you should key into the philosophy of change of government because we are struggling to restore perfect democracy.
โAll party chairmen should try as much as possible to bring a new culture of politics. We will emphasize service to the people, society, nation and country that have elected us.
โWe are also trying to see that our democracy is free and should not be a do- or-die affair. And with what the immediate past INEC chairman has done with the use of the magic card readers. He was able to come out with the true results of the general elections without manipulation.โ
Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said the free, fair, transparent and conducive election of August 2, 2016 brought to an end the hitherto factional crisis over the leadership of IPAC. Yakubu said:
โWith the positive end to the leadership question, IPAC will be well positioned to play its critical roles of coordinating the positions of political parties towards better cooperation with the commission, and for the betterment of our electoral system.โ
The outgoing chairman of IPAC, Bashir Ibrahim, urged all to work together to better the lots of IPAC.
