Bayelsa backs INEC on deregistration of Political Parties
The Bayelsa State Government has expressed support for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC on the de-registration of political parties that failed to fulfill the provisions of the Electoral Act and the Constitution.
The Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, said this when he hosted the newly elected state executive committee of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC at his office, in Government House, Yenagoa.
Ewhrudjakpo said the state government’s position on the issue was informed by its belief in the rule of law and the need to strengthen democracy in the country.
He said the state government would not work with political parties that had been de-registered or would be de-registered by INEC.
He, however, expressed concern over the one-year tenure of executives as allowed by the IPAC constitution, that the duration may be too short for leaders of the body to execute their programmes and projects.
The deputy governor, therefore, urged IPAC to review its constitutional provisions on the tenure of office and peg it at five years to make for impactful leadership.
He urged the new leadership of IPAC in the state to make accountability and transparency their watchword and ensure they bequeathed a worthy legacy to their successors.
While congratulating them on their emergence, he said: “But we also want to make it very clear that we will not work with any political party that has already been deregistered or will be deregistered by INEC.
“This is because we believe in the rule of law and we must do away with the issue of mediocrity for true political development to take place.”
Presenting the new executive to the deputy governor, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters, Collins Cocodia, expressed gratitude to all stakeholders for what he described as the first-ever hitch-free transition of IPAC in the state.
Also, the Special Adviser on Inter-Party Relations, Jackson Suokiri, expressed hope that the new leadership of IPAC would perform their watchdog role with understanding and love for the state.
In his remarks, the state Chairman, IPAC, Brisibe Kpodoh, solicited the administration’s support and pledged to rally round the government to enable it to deliver sustainable development to the people of the state.
NP/Confidence Okwuchi
