FORMER Director of Security and Logistics, Pro National Conference (PRONACO), Linus Okoroji, has berated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the recent de-registration of 28 political parties.
Okori said the commission's action, which he described as unfortunate, contradicted the rule of law. "This shows that what we are parading as democracy in Nigeria is militocracy'. The de-registered parties came into being through a court process and were duly registered by the same INEC, which now de-registered them without recourse to the court."
The PRONACO member said the country needed to address "the fundamental flaws in our democracy" by creating avenue for all ethnic nationalities to sit down together and discuss issues affecting the nation.
According to him, "what INEC did is tantamount to depriving people of their right to form party and vie for positions under a democratic setting. I wonder if the commission is not doing the biddings of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)?"
He likened the action of INEC to placing the entire country under the siege of past military rulers, who now dominate the system with their northern oligarchy cronies.
Okoroji urged NGOs, Labour and Civil Society Organisations to come together and form a formidable party that would probably team up with vibrant activists to take power from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015. The move, according to him, is to stop INEC from taking similar steps "to suit the ruling party" in the future.
