PDP faction tackles INEC to open up on alleged land, cash gifts from Wike

A faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to come clean on land and cash gifts said to have been given to senior members of the commission by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

The party in a statement issued Tuesday by Ini Ememobong, its National Publicity Secretary noted that such gifts are obviously meant to sway the commission’s actions and decisions in the forthcoming general elections.

The statement reads: “last week, the news media was awash with stories of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike, @GovWike offering land and cash gifts to senior staff of the Commission. Later, another news item surfaced wherein Mr. Mohammed Kudu Haruna, who is the Supervising National Commissioner for the FCT, was quoted to have admitted the land gift.

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“This news is very disturbing and worrisome and seems to connect the dots in the land-for-favour scenario currently being widely speculated as the strategy for institutional capture of the Minister. It is curious that these land gifts are given to officials in agencies critical to elections, whereas there are other officials in critical development sectors, like healthcare professionals, teachers, and even security officials-whose duties demand that they live in the capital city. We have not heard of any land allocation to these people, obviously because they are not directly related to the election process.

“We hereby demand that the National Chairman of INEC comes clean on these allegations against his top officials, and even himself, as he has also been alleged to be a beneficiary. These stories, at a time like this, deepen the erosion of public trust in an electoral umpire with a legacy of stained credibility. Therefore, the Commission should, as a matter of urgency and priority, inform the public of the true situation regarding this matter.

“The Commission must remember at all times that it must strive to be, like Caesar’s wife, above board, and ensure that transparency and impartiality are not just watchwords but are obvious in both its words and actions”.

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