Africa Press-Nigeria:<\/p>\n
The People\u2019s Democratic Party (PDP) has charged President Muhammadu Buhari to initiate the process of electoral reforms without further delay.<\/p>\n
The party called on the President to rethink his position on the Electoral Amendment Bill passed by the Eighth National Assembly but to which he declined assent.<\/p>\n
At a media briefing in Abuja on Thursday by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party charged President Buhari to return the Amendment Bill to the National Assembly within 14 days, with a strong commitment to sign it into law immediately it is passed by the federal legislature.<\/p>\n
Ologbondiyan said, \u201cOur party holds that it behooves on President Buhari to initiate an electoral reform process immediately, even if that will be the only legacy that posterity will record for him in his eight years in office.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny failure to initiate an electoral reform will amount to a deliberate plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to kill our hard earned democracy and return our nation to a state of nature where the will of any individual, supported by bandits and vagabonds will become the norm\u201d.<\/p>\n
The main opposition party also urged President Buhari take urgent steps to end what it described as nepotism and divisive body language associated with his administration.<\/p>\n
The PDP bemoaned alleged constitutional and human right violations by the administration, urging the President to protect the nation\u2019s democracy and security of lives and property of the citizenry.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe should also take further steps to end the constitutional violations, abuse of human rights, political intolerance, harassment of opposition and dissenting voices associated with his administration.<\/p>\n
\u201cFurthermore, Mr. President\u2019s June 12 address should speak to the rejigging of our nation\u2019s security architecture as well as more decisive steps that will be taken by his administration to save Nigerians from untimely and sudden gruesome deaths in the hands of bandits and insurgents.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlready, Nigerians are tired of the rhetorics of routine condolences and instructions that never seemed to be carried out by the security hierarchy.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody therefore, no matter how highly placed, must be allowed to appropriate our common heritage and desecrate our hard-earned democracy,\u201d the party added.<\/p>\n
The PDP further noted that it\u2019s saddening that the nation is currently presided over by persons whose actions showed that they do not believe in, or have any regard for democracy.<\/p>\n
Such persons, the party said, have emasculated democratic principles and desecrated all that the late MKO Abiola stood for, fought for, and eventually died for.<\/p>\n
According to the PDP, Abiola\u2019s death should remind the nation of credible electoral process, respect for the rule of law, regard for separation of powers and regard for the unity, national cohesion and sensibility of Nigerians.<\/p>\n
It also listed freedom of speech and tolerance, free press, respect for principle of federal character, transparency, accountability and productivity in governance as cardinal to democracy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Africa Press-Nigeria: The People\u2019s Democratic Party (PDP) has charged President Muhammadu Buhari to initiate the process of electoral reforms without further delay. The party called on the President to rethink his position on the Electoral Amendment Bill passed by the Eighth National Assembly but to which he declined assent. At a media briefing in Abuja […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":18956,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,16],"tags":[97,65],"class_list":["post-26093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-parties","tag-buhari","tag-pdp"],"yoast_head":"\n