The Presidential Candidate of the NCP, Martin Onovo, says he is “the President in waiting if the 2015 presidential election is free, fair and credible”.
Mr. Onovo made the assertion in Lagos on Thursday while speaking with a correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
“We are the oldest party in Nigeria and we are the party of the Nigerian people.
“There is no party that can defeat NCP in a free and fair election.
“If you compare us with other parties in Nigeria, NCP cannot be defeated, if the election is contested according to the law and votes counted, I am the president-in-waiting.
“There is no question about it that I am the president in waiting”, the youthful presidential hopeful said.
According to him, the general elections present the country a golden opportunity to make the right decisions.
“There is no doubt that the quality of leadership we get determines how well we manage our challenges”, he stated.
Mr. Onovo urged political leaders to comply with the nation’s electoral laws to foster the development of democracy.
On the Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs) and card readers, the presidential candidate said that the PVCs and card readers would increase the integrity of the elections.
“After the field test of PVCs and card readers conducted by INEC and the promises made by INEC to address all the issues raised, we feel more confident about the PVCs and card readers.
“We want the PVCs to be used but we don’t want them to fail because if they fail it is as good as not using them.
“So we call on INEC to make sure that the card readers don’t fail.
“We are sure that what we have currently is not democracy, so the PVCs, if properly and effectively used, will lead us to democracy”, he said.
Mr. Onovo said that rigging an election is worse than a military coup, arguing that the card reader would eliminate electoral fraud.
On the deployment of soldiers for elections, Mr. Onovo said that the court judgment against the use of the military should be appealed by INEC.
“The military has always supported internal security operations during elections. I find the court judgment queer.
“But because we believe in the rule of law, that judgment must be respected, what INEC needs to do is to go to the superior court and vacate that judgment.
“If we are going to have resemblance of an election, we need very robust security so military back up should be there.
“I have no objection to military presence during the polls.
“So that court judgment should be vacated. INEC needs to appeal that judgment if they have not done so”, he said.
According to him, the NCP will abolish poverty in the country by providing employment and social services to reduce the cost of living.
Mr. Onovo said the party had offered to increase the minimum wage by reducing the maximum wage.
He said that the party would not align with any other party but must stand by its fundamental values of truth, integrity, justice and national development.
The presidential hopeful urged the media to be fair, objective and faithful to its constitutional mandate.
(NAN)