With the political opposition still showing uncertainty in contesting the upcoming Local Government Elections (LGE), the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) is now calling for a boycott of the LGE, on the grounds that the day is intended as a means of “political entrapment”.
The WPA said categorically at a press conference today that it will not be contesting the elections. The WPA further suggested that instead of the populace casting their votes on June 12, it posited that the date should culminate into one of “resistance”.
Furthermore, the party expressed concerns over the circumstances leading up the elections. The party said that there is still some amount of reluctance to “clean the voters’ list” and as such, will not take part in the upcoming elections. Executive Member of WPA, Tacuma Ogunseye said there is no promise of a free and fair election.
“When they finish rigging the Local Government Elections, they will rig the constitutional reform process because at the end of the day, in that process, whatever you say, you say, but the Government has the final say. And then they will rig the national elections,” Ogunseye said.
Meanwhile, against the backdrop of calling for a ‘Day of Resistance’ Executive Member, Dr. David Hinds opined that the WPA is not against elections. He said what the party questions is whether the electoral process is one that is sufficient.
Dr. Hinds said, “Of course we are not contesting the Local Government Elections but we want to make it very clear that we are not against elections. We are not against elections as part of the democratic process but we feel elections by themselves are not akin to democracy. Elections are democratic procedures.”
He continued, “Democracies are tested by the substance of the governance. You can be democratically elected, meaning a free and fair elections but how do you use that election to govern? Are you going into people’s villages and rather than dialogue with them, you are dismantling their homes? Are you distributing the resources of the state in an equitable manner?”
For the foregoing reasons outlined, Dr. Hinds and the extended WPA faction, remain adamant in their belief that the upcoming elections will not be a fair one, and as such, should constitute a day of resistance by voters.
