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Opposition parties ignore INEC, tell members to resume campaign for Atiku

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Opposition political parties under the aegis of Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), has instructed its members to ignore the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and resume campaigns for Atiku Abubakar.

INEC chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, had during an interactive session with stakeholders in Abuja on Saturday asked political parties not to resume campaigns not minding the postponement of the presidential election earlier scheduled for February 16.

But CUPP first national spokesman, Imo Ugochinyere, in a statement on Sunday asked all members of the coalition to resume campaigns for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Ugochinyere argued that the INEC chairman’s position was unconstitutional.

“In view of the provisions of the Section 99 of the Electoral Act, the over 51 member parties of the Coalition of United Political Parties hereby direct all members to return to the campaigns fields and recommence campaigns and end by midnight of Thursday, February 21, 2019 as required by law.

“Section 99 ( 1 ) of the Electoral Act provides that public campaigns shall end 24 hours prior to the day of polling . “It is, therefore, wrong to expect that political parties will stop campaigns on February 14 for polls that will open on February 23 . “It is unlawful and statutorily wrong to curtail the clear intendment of this section of the Electoral Act which is clear and unambiguous.

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“Campaigning until 24 hours prior to the day of polling is a statutory right of parties and cannot be taken away , curtailed or abridged by any executive fiat. “INEC cannot, on its own accord, limit the period of campaigns as it is regulated by law .

“Member parties are hereby directed to continue campaigns from today ( Sunday ) and focus on voter remobilisation and ensure that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is elected and declared winner of the presidential election,” Ugochinyere said.

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