Presidency’s directive on printing of ballot papers suspicious ! —APC

The All Progressives Congress has described as suspicious, the directive by the Presidency that all electoral materials must be printed by the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company.

The party in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in London on Sunday, said the directive was a threat to the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission. It added that the directive would undermine free, fair and credible elections in the country.

The APC said the directive was suspicious because it was followed by the dissolution of the management of the NSPMC, which may be a “ploy by the President to inject Peoples Democratic Party’s card-carrying members into the reconstituted management so the company can become another rigging tool in subsequent elections, especially the 2015 general elections.”

The APC said the PDP-led Federal Government would take advantage of the directive just as it used security agencies to manipulate past elections.

It said, ‘’On the surface, there is nothing wrong in having the NSPMC print electoral materials, since this will translate to more jobs for Nigerians and save money. However, against the background of the PDP-led Federal Government’s abuse of national institutions like the military and the police, which are used as the enforcement arms of the PDP during elections, it will be dangerous to have them (FG) take control of the printing of ballot papers and other electoral materials via the NSPMC.

‘’Secondly, where is the independence of INEC when the President can just direct it by fiat to do its bidding? INEC should be left to determine where to print its electoral materials to ensure the integrity of such materials.

“Thirdly, asking the CBN Governor, an appointee of the President, to now oversee the ‘reform’ of the NSPMC, and the governor’s promptitude in visiting INEC over the presidential directive, raise more questions.”