Ahead of the November 11 Governorship election in Imo State, the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in the state has warned civil society groups to avoid using their vantage position to confer undue advantages on candidates and political parties in the governorship race.
In a statement signed on Tuesday, the IPAC said partisanship by those groups could create confusion in the process and jeopardise peace and tranquility in the state.
The IPAC leadership said prominent members of the civil society groups with loyalty to some political parties and other individuals in the state are plotting to use the civil society-managed Parallel Voter Tabulation platform to discredit these result of the election if the result did not favour their own candidate.
The political parties’ platform also alleged of plans by some unnamed civil society arrowheads to “re-enact what they did during the last Osun State governorship election in Imo State”.
The IPAC leadership specifically mentioned YIAGA Africa, Situation Room, Enough is Enough Nigeria and Centre for Democracy and Development for being part of the plot.
“We have monitored utterances and clandestine meetings by some of these so-called pro-democracy civil society groups. We are privy to their plans and the associations they keep among political actors in Imo State. We have no confidence in them and we don’t believe they would be impartial parties in this coming election.
“While we are in full support for citizens engagement and expansion of the civic space in the conduct of our elections, we would certainly not fold our arms and watch some elements schew the process in favour of a party and destabilise the state in the process.”
IPAC therefore, called on the Inspector General of Police, chairman of the Independence National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Director-General of the Department of State Services to investigate leaders of those civil society groups and call them to order before they throw Imo State into a crisis.