In response to a petition calling for him to be disqualified for belonging to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the candidate for resident electoral commissioner in Benue State stated that he has never been partisan in his life.
The candidate, Dr. Oliver Agundu, claimed that the petition, which allegedly claimed that he is partisan, was the work of adversaries who wanted to damage his reputation and prevent President Muhammadu Buhari from appointing him as Resident Electoral Commissioner.
When he appeared before the Senate Committee on Independent National Electoral Commission, which is presided over by Senator Kabiru Gaya, Agundu responded to the petition filed against him by a group acting under the auspices of the National Forum for Strict Adherence to Justice (NAFSAJ).
The petition, dated July 17, 2022, signed by Tordoo Akuma and addressed to the committee’s chairman, claimed to have proof that Dr. Agundu, a lecturer at the Benue State University and the INEC candidate for resident electoral commissioner for Benue State, is allegedly a registered PDP member. Dr. Agundu is currently the nominee for that position.
Part of the petition read: “Therefore, in reference to the Nigerian Constitution, his nomination violates paragraph 14 part 1 of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution as amended which states that a member of INEC shall be non-partisan”.
He argued that the petition contained untrue accusations that were unprovable in any court.
“Basically, I feel that this is a false and fake petition aimed at tarnishing my image and possibly seeking for distinguished Senators to stop my nomination,” he said.
In the meantime, Senator Jarigbe Agom of Cross River North, a member of the Committee, stated it succinctly, “We have listened to you and we have no doubt that you are an erudite scholar as young as you are, that means the sky is the limit.”
“We have no doubt as to your qualification, capacity and competence and you are eminently qualified and I can say that there is conflicting information in the petition, therefore, I urge this Committee to throw away this petition because it is dead on arrival,” Agom said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Philip Aduda, questioned the validity of the petition as well, pointing out that the purported petition included errors.
“I am worried because this petitioner is trying to tarnish the image of my party, PDP.
“The petitioner stated that Agundu’s membership card of 2020 was signed by our current Chairman, distinguished Senator Iyorchia Ayu, whereas he assumed office in 2022. This is unacceptable and it’s a forgery as well. We will have to invite the petitioners to explain further,” Aduda State.
The Benue INEC nominee was asked to bow and depart by Kabiru Gaya, the chairman of the Senate INEC Committee, after his remarks.
