AC TACKLES JONATHAN OVER 'SUCCESSFUL ELECTIONS' COMMENTS

The Action Congress has accused Acting President Goodluck Jonathan of sending wrong signals to Nigerians and the international community with his comments over some 'successful elections' organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission in recent times.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also said the Acting President's comments on a Cable News Network interview aired on Wednesday amounted to contempt of court, as the Anambra State Governorship Election Tribunal is due to begin proceedings on Monday.

The statement said, 'The elections which Dr. Jonathan referred to during his interview with CNN were apparently those in Akoko-Edo, Anambra and the Federal Capital Territory, all held under his watch.

'In the first instance, saying that the Anambra governorship election was well conducted, a few days before the Tribunal on that election is supposed to open its proceedings, is capable of biasing the mind of the judges. This is very unfortunate, coming from the Acting President.

'Secondly, how can the leader of a democratic nation say that an election in which over 83 per cent of voters were disenfranchised – as was the case in the Anambra election - was well conducted? That statement is wrong in fact and in law.''

The party also disagreed that the FCT election held last weekend was well organised, saying it suffered from the same 'INEC-perfected booby traps,' like voters not finding their names on the register and election materials arriving late, as in other polls.

It said praising the INEC Chairman, Prof. Maurice Iwu, at a time that Nigerians and the whole world were unanimous that he must be removed as part of an anticipated electoral reform, amounted to bad judgment.

The AC reminded Jonathan that the best impact he can make in the few months left to the end of the tenure of the present administration was in the area of electoral reform. It warned, 'Making the kind of comments attributed to him on some 'successful elections' does not reassure Nigerians that they can look up to the Acting President to rescue them from the scourge of electoral malpractices.

'There is a thin line between perception and reality. The moment Nigerians begin to feel that Dr. Jonathan is not committed to electoral reform, he would have succeeded in shooting himself in the foot, even before he acts on the reform.'