Learn from PDP, Yakassai Tells INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been advised to take a cue from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to give Nigerians acceptable general election come 2019.

Making the call yesterday during a chat with THISDAY on the conclusion of party primaries in preparation for the 2019 general election, elder statesman and founding member of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, commended the quality of the PDP primary that threw up former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as its candidate, and also canvassed for issuebased politics.

Yakassai, who was a Liaison Officer to former President Shehu Shagari, said: “Let me start by congratulating the PDP for conducting free, fair and credible primary at their convention. So, also let me congratulate the winner, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and I wish him success.

“I think the outcome of the PDP convention is a challenge to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), that if the party can be able to conduct free, fair, credible and transparent election, it is a challenge to INEC to ensure that the next election is conducted in an atmosphere of freedom and credibility and transparency so that everybody will accept the outcome of the election. That is a very big development in Nigeria today,” he said.

He therefore advised that: “Since the candidate of the APC and the PDP are now in the same region, coming from the same ethnic group and coming from the same religion, there should be no politics of ethnicity, religion or sectionalism. It should be based on issues. It is what they are going to do for the people.”