PRESS STATEMENT BY PRINCE TONY MOMOH, NATIONAL CHAIRMAN, CONGRESS FOR PROGRESSIVE CHANGE ON THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF SATURDAY APRIL 16, 2011

Gentlemen of the Press

My party, the Congress for Progressive Change, would like to praise Nigerians who have shown more enthusiasm to pick the leaders of their choice than many involved in moderating the elections have exhibited. It will be most unfortunate if at this stage of so much craving for free, fair and transparent elections we have at this time those who have refused to accept that we need irreducible minimum standards of behaviour to persuade the world that we have indeed chosen the path of honour in obeying the rules that promote peace, order and discipline in any polity.

Last week, there were obvious lapses we drew attention to in the elections we held to the national assembly. A lot of anomalies were recorded between the voting centres and the collating stations. The figures would just not add up. And as people have always been told, let them go to court. It is our view that elections must be won at polling centres through the people’s vote. The final outcome in other climes has been and should also here be that what happens at collation centres is the simple totalling of what the voters said through the ballot.

Reports reaching us from most polling stations from some zones of the country show clearly the trappings of freeness and fairness in the elections. Much as we concede to the INEC the obligation in law to announce results, we have access to the results posted at the various voting centres and we believe and insist that what we are given as results will be the totality of the votes cast.

We draw attention to the need for openness in the collation stage of the elections because of disturbing reports we have of massive infusion into our electoral process of the results of illegal ballot papers that have been discovered countrywide in the control of those who have no business having them. This is a clear breach of INEC directives which seemed to have been so very confidently obeyed in the breach than the observance.

Reports from the field show that there was a large turnout of voters in three geo political zones – North-East, North-West and North-Central. There was low turnout in the South-South, South-East and South-West. Free and fair on the face as the elections were in many places, they were characterised by large circulation of ballot papers/boxes and result sheets outside the approved polling stations before and during the elections.

There were violations of processes of the elections by INEC itself nationwide. These violations include the non-disclosure of the volume of electoral materials to political parties at national, state and local government levels; the absence of elections in many rural areas in places like Rivers. Akwa Ibom, Delta States, and most parts of the South East. There were also late commencement of elections in some places including Nanya and Lugbe in FCT, Jos North Local government, and Kashere in Gombe State. Most embarrassing was the non-release of results at polling stations, and where released, not pasting.

One area to which attention must also be drawn was the freighting and distribution of electoral material printed by identified presses of known party men. Sensitive materials of this nature should not only be carefully handled but should be seen to be so.

As we issue this statement, we are aware of intensive moves to mutilate results of the elections. The pattern of voting countrywide is being tracked and posted on the net. We plead most sincerely that no one should embarrass this country by manipulating results through imposing on the people what they did not say through the vote that represents the only power they have to show that in them and only in them does sovereignty reside.

Sgd

Prince Tony Momoh

National Chairman, Congress for Progressive Change