APC leaders are anti-democrats, says UPN candidate

The presidential candidate of Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), Helen Godswill, has urged Nigerians to be weary of leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who, she said, are already exhibiting “serious anti-democratic tendencies even outside of power at the centre.”

Godswill, who addressed the media on her programmes for the nation, said it was important for Nigerians to carefully scrutinise APC leaders, who have been hypocritically shouting change but exhibiting contrary traits.

Speaking against the backdrop of an application filed before a Federal High Court in Lagos by the APC to be joined as a co-defendant to a suit which UPN filed seeking to compel INEC to list candidates of the party for March 28 and April 11 elections, Godswill noted that it was unfortunate that APC leaders were already seeking to trample on the constitutional rights of people even outside of power.

She wondered how the APC could file an application to stop the participation of UPN candidates in the elections, which is a constitutional rights of the UPN and the candidates of the party.

Besides, Godswill debunked insinuation making the rounds that the UPN was being used by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to scuttle the already re-scheduled elections of March 28 and April 11.

According to her, there was nowhere in the suit filed by the UPN where the party is seeking for the postponement of the elections, adding that the party was only asking the court to compel INEC to allow its candidates to participate in the elections.

She stressed that the UPN was not interested in frustrating INEC, but that all they are clamouring for is free, fair and credible elections where all the candidates would be allowed to participate, and the people allowed to vote for the candidates of their choice.

She further explained that there was no time the UPN adopted the presidential candidate of the PDP, President Goodluck Jonathan, explaining that the fact was known to INEC.

“You see, what happened was that a member of our party, on his own without the consent of the party, issued a statement to say that the party had adopted the PDP Presidential candidate.

“That member acted alone and he has since left our party. This fact is known to INEC,” Godswill clarified.