By CHRIS OCHAYI
Alliance for Democracy, AD, is alleging  a conspiracy by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to  exclude it from the next election, saying it will bring a very grave consequence to the polity and the nation’s  democracy.

The party, which issued the warning via a statement by its acting national chairman, Rev Okechukwu C. Obioha, yesterday, in Abuja, however, called  on the executive, the judiciary, the legislature and major stakeholders in the polity to intervene and save the situation.

Obioha alleged that INEC was in high level conspiracy with the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, to deny their candidates the right to participate in the April general elections, hence the refusal by INEC to issue the party forms CF001 and CF002.

“The Alliance for Democracy (AD), one of the major political parties in Nigeria, had their national convention on 23 September, 2010 as directed by INEC,” the statement said.

It continued: “Chief Michael Koleosho, Alh Musa Umar, Alhaji Magaji Kwaranga and Rev Tunji Adebiyi, the national chairman, deputy national chairman, national secretary and S/West zonal chairman respectively, moved motions to merge Alliance for Democracy (AD) with Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

“Their move to foister the purported merger on the members of AD failed as people raised objections which INEC observed during the convention.

“Members of the NEC present met after the meeting and appointed Rev Okechukwu C. Obioha JP, the national vice chairman S/East as the acting national chairman pending when the next convention is held to elect a substantive national chairman.

“INEC was communicated on September 27, 2010 on the unanimous decision.  On  October 5, 2010, the above named individuals, in defiance to the objections on the merger raised by members, wrote a letter to INEC requesting of fusion/merger and in addition requested INEC to delete the logo of AD from the 2010 general elections ballot paper.

“Since our letter of  27  September, 2010, we have written three more letters to INEC in addition to several phone calls and visits. INEC assured us through the acting director of Political Party Monitoring and L Mrs Regina Omo-Agege that AD cannot be merged because the conditions for merger have not been met  and more so the AD had an acting national chairman in the person of Rev Okechukwu C, Obioha JP.

“This INEC confirmed by their letter of the 1st and 13th December, 2010 when they gave us the Time-Table for the General elections and invited us for a consultative meeting which Rev Okechukwu C. Obioha was in attendance. He was cleared by Mrs Regina Omo-Agege for the meeting.

“We have tried to no avail to collect INECs forms CF001 and CF002 for AD since December 15, 2010 till today. Mrs Regina Omo-Agege has religiously told us to come the next day since December 15, 2010 and we have piously complied.”