Forum of Presidential Candidates expresses confidence in INEC's electoral guidelines

The Forum of Presidential Candidates, 2019, has expressed confidence in the Electoral Guidelines and Regulations for the forthcoming general elections released on Tuesday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The Chairman of the forum and Presidential Candidate of the Advanced People’s Democratic Alliance (APDA), Alhaji Mohammed Shittu, stated this at a press conference in Abuja.

Shittu said that it was their belief that if the guidelines were followed the elections would be free, fair and credible.

“As stakeholders in the elections, we have studied the released Electoral Guidelines and Regulations, in view of what we agreed with INEC on the Jan. 7 where we had consultative meeting with National officers of the commission and looked at grey areas in the guidelines.

“From what has been released, INEC has reiterated to Nigerians that the stage has been set for the elections,” he said.

On the issue of simultaneous accreditation and voting system stipulated by the guidelines, the chairman said that it would help to address some challenges confronting the voting system, when accreditation and voting were separated.

“It is not too good for our system where you are accredited and told to come back in two hours time. In that case you already know that the person will vote, and you can induce him to sell his vote.

“The simultaneous accreditation will save us from vote buying, waste of time and ballot snatching.”

On the use of Card Reader, Shittu said that it had become part of the country’s electoral system as it had been used in recently states’ elections and nobody had raised any legal issue on it.

“I believe we cannot go back to the old system or call for the alter of card reader.”

He said also expressed believe that the ban on the use of cellphone at the polling units would promote the sanctity of the ballot papers

He urged Nigerians to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner as the country approached the forthcoming elections.

“As we go on patriotism should be what should drive us in our electoral process. We should be patriotic. We should think of the nation first and we should not heat up the polity.

“We have all, as presidential candidates, signed the peace accord which we all agreed that hate speech should be avoided and that INEC and other agencies concerned in the electoral process will monitor our conducts.

“There are vultures there waiting to see that we plunged this country into violence. This is the time to nurture our democracy.”

He also advised all presidential candidates to demonstrate their pledge to ensure peace during the election, saying if that was done Nigerians would key into it.

Also at the event was Danjuma Mohammed, Presidential Candidate and National Chairman of Movement for the Restoration and Defence of Democracy(MRDD) as well as the National Chairman of Allied Peoples Movement, Alhaji Yusuf Dantalle.