Speaker Backs Removal Of PDP Members From INEC

The removal of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) card carrying members from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC ) is one of the measures arrived at ensuring credible elections in Nigeria, Speaker Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Tonye Harry, has said.

Rt. Hon. Harry made this explanation during an interview with The Tide correspondent at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa.

The Speaker who threw more light on President Goodluck Jonathan’s decision to removed PDP members from INEC said the time has come when the political arrangement of the country would be cleansed to restore the lost image of the ruling party.

He noted that the party is making strenuous effort to ensure that the country achieves credible election to a great extent because as he put it, “no country has ever achieved 100 per cent credible elections.”

“We, the PDP members are putting in place all strategies that will make Nigerian move forward by making sure that we achieve at least 80 per cent free and fair election as no country can assure absolute credible election,” the speaker stressed.

On the state’s contribution to the constitutional amendment, Rt Hon. Harry said that the government would soon organize a public hearing where the views of the people would be collated and forwarded to the National Assembly.

Calling on Rivers people to prepare their minds for the exercise, he stated that no state has the right to add or remove what the National Assembly has already done but “we will consult our people to know areas that will be beneficial to us.”

Harry expressed the belief that the newly appointment PDP National chairman, Chief Okwesilieze Nwodo, would move the party forward and urged INEC to work out a better procedure of ensuring credible election come 2011.

Shedie Okpara