The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), an umbrella body of the 18 registered political parties, has urged security agencies to do more in tackling insecurity in the country.
IPAC National Chairman, Dr Leonard Nzenwa made the apeal at a news conference on the state of the nation on Thursday in Abuja.
Nzenwa said that IPAC was worried by activities of insurgents, bandits, militants, kidnappers, killer herdsmen in the North West, North East, North Central, South East, South- South and South West.
Nzenwa appealed to all those fomenting trouble in the country to desist from it and to allow peace to reign.
”We are sure these trouble makers, bandits, terrorists, kidnappers, known and unknown gunmen and criminal elements are human beings like everyone of us who have mothers, sisters, brothers, children and fathers.
“We speak to their conscience to know how they will feel, if what they inflict on other people are visited on them or their own people,” he said.
He advised the Federal Government to further address corruption and redesign its social safety programs in favour of the vulnerable.
He decried the rate of unemployment in the country, in spite of the abundant human and natural resources Nigeria was blessed with.
The national chairman stressed the need for moribund factories to be resuscitated, to absorb unemployed youths.
The IPAC national chairman commended President Muhammadu Buhari for directing the remittance of allocation directly to the local government.
He advised that local government chairmen should judiciously utilise the funds.
Nzenwa condemned recent attacks on INEC offices and other national assets including the Nigerian Police facilities in some parts of the country, demanding a stop to the action.
”We call on security agents to identify and deal decisively with these criminal elements that are perpetrating the burning of national assets.”
He also advised INEC to redouble its efforts, as much is expected from them ahead of the Nov. 6 Anambra State gubernatorial election.
”Anambra poll is litmus test ahead of the Ekiti and Osun gubernatorial elections in 2022, as we approach the 2023 general election for which the commission created new polling units to fast track voting processes in the state across the country,” he stated.
Nzenwa reiterated IPAC’s rejection of the nomination of Lauretta Onochie, an aide to the President Buhari as INEC National Commissioner.
He said that appointing a party card-carrying member into INEC would undermine the independence and neutrality of the commission, as well as create an unhealthy precedent in the country.”(NAN)