The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has rejected the purported plans by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to involve the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KGIRS) as part of the screening committee for the forthcoming local government election in the state.
The Kogi State CNPP Chairman, Mohammed Kabir Abdullahi, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Monday.
Abdullahi said, “We reject the plans by the APC to use the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KGIRS) to threaten or extort the opposition during the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) screening by ordering a fresh tax clearance and also authenticating the originality of what they have.
“Tax clearance is never a criterion for the nomination of candidates in any democratic setting. CNPP rejects in totality the inclusion of Kogi State Internal Revenue Service in the screening exercise for the forthcoming local government election in Kogi State.
“We advise the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service to kindly inform the people of Kogi State about what they have been using the money generated from the state for.
“We have visited other states, and we can categorically tell you that, courtesy of the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of their states, they were able to fix their roads, subsidize electrification bills, and in most cases, ensure that frustrated citizens receive good piped water.
“In Kogi State, the reverse is the case. Here in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, for more than five years, the Kogi State Water Board has not been functioning, yet we continue to generate revenue that has no meaningful impact on the citizens.
“The Kogi State Internal Revenue Service, which is dancing to the tune of their paymaster, is a meddlesome interloper, making frantic efforts to disqualify genuine candidates from other political parties who they believe will defeat them in the forthcoming election.
“The present administration in Kogi State should come out clearly and state that they do not want other political parties to contest in this local government election. Why introduce draconian policies that are anti-democratic just because they are looking for a way to push other parties out of the race? CNPP will not accept this.
“We are calling on the appropriate authorities to retrace their steps and ensure that all political parties are given a level playing field to contest in the upcoming election. The ruling party has lost its popularity, which is why they are anxious about the outcome of the October 19th local government election in Kogi State.”
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