#AnambraDecides2017- Governorship debate: CNPP, NNPP faults selection process

……say selection a breach of constitution
The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) have expressed dismay over the apparent bias in the choice of participants in the Channels Television debate for candidates fielded in the November 18, 2017 governorship election.

However, the CNPP lauded the Television house for the bold step in engendering robust issue-based debate.

While urging other media organisations to emulate the laudable initiative ahead of 2019, the CNPP advised the media to ensure it create a level playing field for candidates through unbiased coverage of elections as the survival of democracy in the country depends largely on their fair reportage.

This was contained in a statement signed by the CNPP Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu.

According to the umbrella body of all registered political parties and political associations in the country, “it was unfair for Channels Television to engage in secretive selection of the debate participants.

“The television station’s initiative is laudable and should be emulated by other media organisations in Nigeria, but their good work was given a heavy blow by their refusal to make the process open to all.

“We advise the regulating authorities, including the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that candidates are not shortchanged in similar manner ahead of 2019.

“We therefore urge the National Assembly to take note of the lack of level playing field in reportage of elections in the country to reduce the level of money politics, which encourages corruption among political office holders.

“The lawmakers must address this issue squarely in the proposed electoral offences commission bill in order to engender and sustain popular participation in electoral process by citizens who are not money bags,” the CNPP noted.

On the part of the NNPP, the last Sunday’s Anambra Election Debate which featured only five out of the 27 Candidates cleared for the November 18, 2017 gubernatorial election is a total breach of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, the Electoral Act as well as the National Broadcasting Commission Code guiding the operations of electronic media in the country.

The political party in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Barr. Fred Akokhia said, “we members of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), watched with consternation the seeming connivance of government institutions, media houses

and the civil society groups which climaxed with the selective election debate which even before the election date have systematically put the majority of the candidates

and their parties at a disadvantaged position through a jaundiced and biased debate, thereby, denying the vast majority of Anambrarian voters who form the followership of the remaining political parties the opportunity to listen to their preferred candidates, not involved in the exercise.

“As a matter of fact, we are still wondering about the criteria used in choosing the five candidates invited for the debate.

“Our major worry is the involvement of INEC which is supposed to be an unbiased umpire in the forthcoming election in the debate thereby allowing itself to be used in perpetrating a major fraud against the election ab initio.

“We were taken aback when the moderator Seun Okinbaloye, while reading out the names of the bodies behind the project mentioned Channels TV, the National Democratic Institute (NDI), Enough is Enough and concluded by saying it was endorsed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“This is very worrisome if those bodies mentioned above, and which should know decided to engage in illegality from the perspectives of the Constitution, the Electoral Act and the National Broadcasting Commission Code.

“The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, apart from guaranteeing equality before the law, also prohibits discrimination against an individual or a group of people, on the grounds of status or ties.”

While quoting Section 15(2), the party said, “Accordingly, national integration shall be actively encouraged, whilst discrimination on the grounds of place of origin, sex, religion, status, ethnic or linguistic association or ties shall be prohibited.”

Adding that, “If the charade which took place on Sunday, November 12, 2017, which seems to have become the norm in our democratic space is not a worst example of discrimination, we wonder what will be then.

“A situation whereby 5 out of 27 Contestants standing for the same election in a week’s time are put on the world stage, with unhindered access to consumers of TV, radio

and many other social media platforms with an opportunity to merchandise their candidature to the voters conveyed undue advantage on them to the detriment of the remaining 22 Candidates.

“This without doubt is against the principle of natural justice and abashedly rubs mud on the face of free, fair and credible elections. Some of the ingredients of a good electoral process are fairness and credibility.

What happened on Sunday in the name of election debate has cast a dark shadow on the credibility of the November 18, 2017 polls, especially with the endorsement of the debate by INEC, the electoral umpire expected to be neutral and unbiased.

“The Electoral Act is very clear on the obligation of INEC and all those connected with elections, which is absolute neutrality,” the party insisted.