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The party demands electronic voting system for the Anambra election.
The United Progressives Party, UPP, has approved the withdrawal of its governorship candidate in the November 16 governorship election in Anambra State, O.N. Akanegbu and his running mate, Sunny Nwachukwu, from the race.
The party replaced them with Benedict Ndubisi Akanegbu, a professor, and Ifeanyi Ezechukwu, as governorship and deputy governorship candidates respectively.
UPP announced the decision in a communiqué signed by its National Chairman, Chekwas Okorie and National Secretary, Bello Umar, after its National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting in Abuja, on Tuesday.
“NEC reviewed the strategic reasons for the withdrawal of the above candidates and substituting them with other candidates and approved the initiative. Consequently, Prince O.N.C. Akanegbu has voluntarily withdrawn his candidature in favour of Professor Benedict Ndubuisi Akanegbu, while Sunny Chuba Nwachukwu has done the same in favour of Prince Ifeanyi Ezechukwu,” the communique said.
The NEC commended the party’s former candidates, who were elected on September 1, for displaying unprecedented commitment and loyalty to it, just as it congratulated the new ones.
The Committee also urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to appreciate the seriousness and significance of conducting a credible and transparent election in Anambra State.
“The success or failure of INEC in this exercise will have great impact on the much awaited 2015 general election,” it warned, adding “Nigerians and the world are watching with keen interest.”
The party reiterated its call on the National Assembly and INEC to do whatever was necessary to enact the enabling law and bring into practice the use of the Electronic Voting System for the 2015 general election.
It noted that “the usual escapist excuse that Nigeria is not ripe for such technology flies in the face of the fact that countries that are clearly behind Nigeria in technological advancement have since commenced the use of Electronic Voting System and their democracies are the better for it.”
While the party recalled that, in its 1st and 2nd meetings, the Federal Government was called upon to seek assistance from friendly nations with greater advanced technology and competence in combating terrorism, it, however, commend President Goodluck Jonathan and his administration for positively responding to that wise counsel which was given with the best of patriotic intentions.
It noted with sadness the poor quality of opposition that was being practiced in Nigeria today, which in its estimation, smacks of mudslinging, denigration of constituted authority and use of acerbic language which tend to heat up the polity unnecessarily.
It added, “In the same token, NEC urges President Goodluck Jonathan to show more leadership in the face of obvious provocation and rein in some of his over-zealous aides who react to the criticism of the opposition in a manner that suggests a country in a state of war. Two wrongs cannot make a right.”
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