By John Alechenu, Abuja
The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has faulted the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) over its position on the crisis in the Labour Party (LP).
CUPP National Secretary and Labour Party chieftain, Chief Peter Ameh, stated this in an interview with Vanguard on Thursday while reacting to SMBLF’s recent statement.
The forum had expressed concern over leadership tussles in opposition parties, suggesting that most of the crises were self-inflicted.
Ameh, however, disagreed, insisting that the leadership crisis in the Labour Party and other opposition parties has been worsened by what he described as government interference and the inaction of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“While I agree with their concerns about the state of opposition parties in Nigeria, I strongly disagree with their assertion that the crises within these parties are self-inflicted,” he said.
According to Ameh, despite a Supreme Court ruling on the Labour Party leadership tussle, INEC has failed to recognise the legitimate leadership, thereby preventing the party from fielding candidates for the August 16 by-elections.
“This deliberate inaction by INEC is an affront to democratic principles and raises questions about the commission’s neutrality,” he said, adding that a non-compromised commission would have resolved the matter promptly.
Ameh urged INEC to fulfil its constitutional duties by resolving leadership disputes in political parties without bias and called on Nigerians to demand greater transparency and accountability from the commission and other government institutions.
“The future of our democracy depends on the ability of our institutions to uphold the rule of law and protect the rights of citizens,” he added.
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