…HOLD JONATHAN RESPONSIBLE -CPC

The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) on Monday blamed President Goodluck Jonathan for the post-election violence that erupted in some Northern parts of the country, saying his determination to win elections by any means was responsible for the blood letting in the North.

The party, however, extended its condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and property as a result of the violence that occasioned the elections, adding that as a disciplined and responsible political party, the CPC would not subscribe to any form of violence.

National legal Adviser to the CPC, Abubakar Malami who made the position of the party public at a press briefing, likened the post-election violence to the anger of the people of the Western Region in 1965 and the people of Ondo State in 1983 against the use of federal might to dislodge opposition governments in the South West in favour of the ruling parties at the federal level with concocted results.

In a press statement entitled 'Seeking to Establish The Truth of the 2011 Presidential Election,' the CPC said it has enough evidence to expose all the elements of the flawed election at the presidential election tribunal.

According to the text 'let us again on behalf of all members and sympathizers of our great party extend our heart-felt sympathy and condolences to the families of those who lost their lives or property as a result of the violence that occasioned the elections. This includes all those affected before, during and after the polls. We would like to seize this opportunity to reiterate that our party is composed of responsible and discipline members who do not in any way subscribe to the perpetration of any evil much less of encouraging any.

'Our national history has however taught us that the determination to win elections by incumbents by any means has always given birth to spontaneous reactions in the form of break down of law and order.'

We recall the anger of the people of the Western Region in 1965 and the people of Ondo state in 1983 against the use of federal might to dislodge opposition governments in the South west in favour of the ruling parties at the federal level with concocted results. The people spontaneously rose against these barbaric actions of the government. Police stations and houses of prominent NNA and NPN supporters were burnt and many people killed. In the case of Ondo State, the judicial decision that ceded Ondo back to the UPN came within the context of citizens' determined effort to protect their votes. We are all living witnesses that the nation's democracy suffered irreparably as a result.

'To us in the CPC, it is our belief that the break down of law and order that ensued after the declaration of President Goodluck Jonathan as the President-elect on the basis of concocted results was the bye product of the determination to win elections by incumbents by any means which has always characterized such actions by historical antecedence. It is our contention that the declaration of false results assembled in places other than the Polling Unit in the instant Presidential Election is another reminder that the political class ruling and ruining Nigeria is not ready to allow electoral reform work. Let us be reminded that already, this present PDP federal Government has rejected the recommendation from the Electoral Reform Committee it set up that the new Independent National Electoral Committee should be appointed through an independent process anchored in the National Judicial Council.

The party accused the ruling PDP of jettisoning the recommendation of the Justice Uwais Committee with regards to the transformation of INEC from a partisan, pro-president-of-the-day lackey to a professional and independent body so that the President could lose the prerogative of appointing the Chairperson, National Commissioners and Resident State Electoral Commissioners of the Commission.

'The National Judicial Council was to take over that responsibility with citizens as nominations are to be made and considered by the public. But without any cogent justification at all, the government rejected it.

In fact, at the end of the day, the entire process of the electoral reform was jettisoned by the same government. What the nation ended up with is the unilateral appointment of an INEC Chairman whose integrity was eulogized more on his past views than actions. I am sure patriotic Nigerians will agree with us that the final processes and outcome of the 2011 general elections are nothing any near to what our campaigns for true Electoral Reforms expected in enthroning for Nigeria free, fair and credible elections.

??We cannot therefore sit by and allow these electoral misdemeanours wreaking the very foundation of our country's stability, prosperity and unity to continue ?unchecked forever. Since independence, the major political problem of our ?country has been that of elections. Transiting from one government to the other ?through the ballot box had always been the most difficult aspect of the nation's ?democratic experiment. In fact, on the two occasions the military took over the ?reins of power from civilian regimes, in 1966 and 1983, election malpractices ?were sighted as justification. Yet, till date, we do not seem to have learned ?our lessons. With every election, including the last Presidential Election, the ?electorates continue to lose confidence in the ability of the ballot box to ?express their will. This is a dangerous trend that must not be allowed to ?continue, lest we find our country sleepwalking into a disaster that we may not ?come out of.'

CPC made cited what transpired in President Jonathan's own polling unit in Osazi to illustrate the level of electoral fraud perpetrated in the election.?

'Osazi Polling Unit has a total number of 908 registered voters. On the 16th of April election, only 424 voters turned out to cast their votes, with 413 voting for ?the President while 11 ballots were invalidated. This represents a total of 47% ?voter turnout in that unit. However, for the rest of Bayelsa state, the total ?voters'