The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has begun mobilisation to protest what it described as a rape of democracy in Benue State local government election, calling for the scrapping of State Electoral Commissions across the country if democracy must thrive at the grassroots level.

It further described the purported local government election in the state and the inauguration of its outcome as a deliberate effort to foist a one-party democracy on the state by Governor Samuel Ortom.

The CNPP Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu told newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday that the umbrella body of all registered political parties and associations in Nigeria rejected the “process and its outcome remains unacceptable to us.

“Therefore, we’re already mobilising Nigerians and the civil society groups across the country to resist this imposition and open threat to our democracy.”

He said all the civil society and human rights organisations in the country have united to end the impunity once and for all. Ezugwu declared: “We shall use Benue as an example and a warning to other state governors who are tramping the tenets of democracy under their foot through a charade they call council elections. I can tell you that the sham in Benue was orchestrated by Governor Samuel Ortom and the chairman of Benue State Electoral Commission, John Tsuwa Tor on June 3, 2017 to exclude political participation at the local level.”

He further said: “That is why we want state electoral bodies scrapped. We are happy that the good people of Benue State boycotted the election as a major voice in protesting against the establishment; that explains the unprecedented voter apathy on the day of the election. The Benue people spoke loud and clear.”

Asked what the special interest in Benue State was, Chief Ezugwu swiftly responded, “If we condone this, it will go down in the world’s history and will embolden other Governors and their State electoral bodies to continue with this practice in Nigeria.

“If this charade is allowed to stay unchallenged, it will be tantamount to truncating Nigeria's democracy and uprooting it from the roots,” he said.

On the planned protest, he said: “When we get to the bridge, we will cross it. The details have been concluded and the civil society groups are set. And we are insisting on the total cancellation of the exercise and a return of over N1.2 billion siphoned in the name of the failed election.”

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