By Jimitota Onoyume
PORT HARCOURT—NATIONAL leader of the Peoples Progressive Party, PPP, Mr. Solomon Edebiri, has cautioned against the scrapping of any of the registered political parties by the Prof Attahiru Jega-led Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Speaking in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Mr. Edebiri, said scrapping existing political parties would amount to depriving members of the party their right to freedom of association.

Commenting on the call for President Jonathan to contest next year’s election, he said there was nothing wrong in it, since the President was qualified to run.

He, however, advised the President to concentrate on governance at the moment, adding that the issues of epileptic power, insecurity, poverty, lack of good roads and qualitative health care system were still a major challenge in the country, that should be surmounted by this administration.

Edebiri also said it would be wrong for anybody to argue that Jonathan’s presidency beyond 2011 would serve as adequate compensation to the region.

On Niger-Delta
He said in the first place,  the region was not a conquered territory and as such, it would be wrong to adduce such argument, adding that Jonathan like any other qualified Nigerian was free to contest the election.

He said beyond the presidency,  the region needed serious infrastructural and human development programmes.
According to him, it was worrisome that a region that sustains other parts of the nation was still very deplorable, adding that the right to control the oil resource should be granted the region.