By Johnson Eyiangho, Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has rejected the appointment of Etekamba Umoren as the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in charge of Akwa Ibom State on the ground that, “Umoren is a card-carrying member of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).

The opposition party, therefore, called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately begin the process of appointing a neutral Resident Electoral Commissioner for the state to avert crisis and illegitimacy in future elections in the state.

The National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Debo Ologunagba who made the call at a news conference on Thursday in Abuja, said the appointment of Umoren violated relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the 2022 Electoral Act.

“It is imperative to state that Section 141 of the Electoral Act, 2022 is clear and unambiguous in barring partisan persons like APC’s Etekamba Umoren from holding any position whatsoever in INEC.

“For clarity and emphasis, Section 141 of the Electoral Act, 2022 states that:

No person holding an elective office to which this Act relates or a registered member of a political party shall be eligible for or be appointed to carry out the duties of a returning officer, an electoral officer, presiding officer or a poll clerk.

“Section 141 of the Electoral Act, 2022 is clearly a major provision that confers, affirms and protects INEC’s statutory independence, guarantees its impartiality and non-partisanship in the electoral process,” Ologunagba said.

According to him, the violation of this key provision as in the case of Etekamba Umoren is a grievous assault on INEC’s credibility as an institution of democracy and the sanctity of the electoral process.

Ologunagba added, “Etekamba Umoren having been thus accused and being a card-carrying member and leader of the APC, runs short of the necessary criteria required to occupy the position of a REC. A REC should be known to be a non-partisan individual of high integrity and whose conduct and appearance should exude confidence in the electorate and enhance the legitimacy of any election supervised by him.”

He alleged that Umoren was appointed by the APC leadership “to use the office of the REC to compromise sensitive processes, materials and systems including voter registration, collection of Voter Cards, doctoring of Voter Register, delineation of electoral constituencies and coercion of INEC staff, all to lay the foundation for APC to manipulate the process leading to future elections in Akwa Ibom State”.

He said Umoren’s imposition as a REC was “a provocative and vexatious defilement of the independence, integrity and credibility of our electoral system which cannot be allowed to stand.”

He added, “This imposition has started generating serious agitation which is a recipe for crisis and possible breakdown of Law and Order in Akwa Ibom State if not immediately addressed.

“It is instructive to alert that the import of the violation of Section 141 of the Electoral Act, 2022 is to the effect that any election conducted or superintended by Etekamba Umoren will be subject to illegitimacy on the ground that the electoral body is constituted contrary to and in violation of the Electoral Act, 2022.

“Moreover, the underlying substance, essence and significance of Section 14 (3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) is for appointments into Federal Agencies, especially sensitive agencies like INEC to be made in such a manner to “promote national unity and also to command national loyalty.”