By Kevwe Ebireri

The All Progressives Congress, APC, has accused President Goodluck Jonathan and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, of already rigging the 2015 election by violating Electoral Act, under the guise of liberation, family and unity rallies across the country.

Interim national publicity secretary of the party, Lai Mohammed, said the President has exhibited a gross abuse of executive power by leading his party to prematurely kick-start the campaign for the 2015 elections, in violation of the law.

“What signal is he sending to Nigerians about the need to respect the laws of the land? When a President brazenly violates the electoral law under the guise of some rally, has he notstarted election rigging? Has he not already started compromising the electoral umpires and the security agencies?” it queried.

The APC said when President Jonathan boasted in Enugu last Friday, at a Unity Rally, that the PDP would capture the South-east in 2015, he was engaging in electioneering, rather than reunification campaign and called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to ensure that lawbreakers are sanctioned since no one is above the law.

The opposition further said the premature campaigns shows that the 2015 general elections will be everything but free, fair and credible, and warned that if INEC fails to act, it loses any moral authority to stop other parties from also campaigning ahead of time.

“Hiding under nomenclature, this President has led his party to engage in brazen lawlessness and shameless impunity. They have gained an undue advantage over other parties, or beaten the gun, in athletics parlance. Therefore, they should suffer the consequences of their action, the least of which is a strong public rebuke, to be followed by stipulated sanctions if they persist,” the APC suggested.

It said “unfortunately, everything points to the fact that the President, by his serial violation, is telling Nigerians and the whole world loud and clear that the coming elections will neither be free fair nor credible!”

In addition, the APC advised President Jonathan to concentrate his energy on putting Nigerians back to work, ensuring the security of lives and property and stopping the massive looting of the common wealth under his watch.

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