If the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Akwa Ibom State, Dr. Mike Igini, has his way, the United States and the European Union (EU) countries will, beginning tomorrow, stop the process of issuing visas to Nigerian politicians and prominent elite. It was also not clear, which countries will honor Igini’s controversial request to keep the visa ban in place until after the 2019 general elections.
“We should not destroy our country because you think that you have US, UK visa and visas of other European countries where you can run to with your family,” Igini told The Guardian. According to the REC, the real threat to the 2019 elections are the elite of Nigeria, and the political class who are recruiting thugs, and pilling up money to buy votes. “My call is that, having called on Nigerians to reject violence and those who are planning it, I also think the international community should be involved. Nigeria cannot be in autarchy of best practices, you have the capacity to identify those who are planning violence across the federation.
Igini lamented that politicians are the greatest enemies of Nigerians, adding that if Nigeria will ever rise to achieve greatness, it cannot do so outside the value and orientation of its elite. He disclosed that INEC has been receiving the report about these elite and politicians, including their importation of military camouflage and fake police uniforms. “They are even more sophisticated now, they have hired some houses, collecting peoples Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs), VIN numbers, telephone numbers and are also now collecting their account numbers,” he said.
The REC stressed that in other climes; security agencies have no role to play in an election, but are supposed to do their normal jobs. But, because of the level of criminality among the political elite, who are very reprobate set of people, ready to kill and read signature blind, security has become an issue today. “The point is that INEC and security are now the focus of either the success, or failure of the 2019 election. For us as a commission, we will stand tall and mighty in the defence of democracy and the rule of law.”