United States President, Barack Obama
United States President Barack Obama and
the the Economic Community of West African States have stressed that
only fair and transparent elections will guarantee a true democratic
process in Nigeria.
Obama made his comment via a video
posted on Monday on the White House official website while the ECOWAS
Chairman and Ghananian President, John Mahama, spoke in Abuja.
The US President, who also called for
the safe rescue of the more than 200 kidnapped Chibok girls by Boko
Haram, reminded Nigerians that “successful elections and democratic
progress” would help Nigeria meet the challenges it currently faces.
He therefore urged Nigerians to
peacefully express their views on election days and “reject the voices
of those who call for violence.”
According to him, the elections
presented to Nigerians, the opportunity to unite in saying no to
violence and extremism and instead show their support for a more
peaceful, secure and prosperous future.
“I call on all Nigerians to peacefully
express your views and to reject the voices of those who call for
violence. And when elections are free and fair, it is the responsibility
of all citizens to help keep the peace, no matter who wins,” Obama
added.
The US President made it clear in the
message that it was the duty of all voters to safeguard the democratic
process by performing their civic responsibility peacefully.
He said, “Today, I want to speak
directly to you—the people of Nigeria. Successful elections and
democratic progress will help Nigeria meet the urgent challenges you
face today.
“Boko Haram—a brutal terrorist group
that kills innocent men, women and children—must be stopped. Hundreds of
kidnapped children deserve to be returned to their families.
“Nigerians who have been forced to flee
deserve to return to their homes. Boko Haram wants to destroy Nigeria
and all that you have worked to build. By casting your ballot, you can
help secure your nation’s progress.”
He also urged all Nigerians to put their
ethnic and religious backgrounds behind ahead of the polls, saying
that the task ahead required unity.
“I’m told that there is a saying in your
country: ‘to keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done.’ Today, I
urge all Nigerians—from all religions, all ethnic groups, and all
regions—to come together and keep Nigeria one. And in this task of
advancing the security, prosperity, and human rights of all Nigerians,
you will continue to have a friend and partner in the USA,” he added.
The US President also had a message to Nigerian leaders, especially the
two leading candidates – President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples
Democratic Party and Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives
Congress: They must caution their supporters against violence during
and after the March 28 polls.
“I call on all leaders and candidates to
make it clear to their supporters that violence has no place in
democratic elections—and that they will not incite, support or engage in
any kind of violence—before, during, or after the votes are counted,”
he advised.
In Abuja, Mahama and the President of
the ECOWAS Commission, Desire-Kadre Ouedraogo met seperately with
Jonathan and the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Maj.
Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe
International Airport.
The ECOWAS chairman told journalists
after the meetings that they stressed to the two candidates they need
for free and fair elections in Nigeria.
Mahama, who also heads ECOWAS
electoral observer mission to Nigeria said that the sub-regional body
had been actively involved in ensuring peaceful and transparent
elections in the five countries going through elections in West Africa
this year.
He said the observer mission had been
monitoring the electoral process in the lead up to the elections not
just before the polls but from a longer period.
Mahama added, “We have received several
monitoring reports and we are working together with the electoral
commissions of the countries and the authorities of those countries.
“We have tried to ensure that obstacles
to free and fair elections are removed to ensure that elections are free
and fair. People would accept the results of those elections.
“As chair of the authorities of Heads of
State of ECOWAS, I have extended my solidarity to the Nigerian people
through my brother President Jonathan, to see that the whole of ECOWAS,
not only ECOWAS, but the international community is in solidarity with
Nigeria to have a very transparent election so that the democratic
process in Nigeria will be better entrenched.
“This is a critical election for Nigeria
and it will be one more indication for the world that Nigeria is a
democratic country and is ruled by tenets of good governance and rule of
law. And so, we want to wish you all the best.”
He disclosed that the delegation would
also meet with the leadership of the Independent National Electoral
Commission to look at the state of preparedness for the elections.
He expressed the belief that the
postponement had given the electoral body more time to be able to meet
all its processes and be in readiness to ensure that voters were not
disenfranchised and that the results of the elections were accepted.
The Ghanaian President also expressed the belief that there would be no post-election violence after the release of the results.
“We expect that there will be no
post-election violence and that all the parties involved in the
elections would accept the results in good faith when INEC has
announced the results of the elections.
“As you know, Nigeria is a very
important member of ECOWAS. The largest economy, the largest nation in
the ECOWAS region and so Nigeria’s safety and security is the safety of
and security of the whole of ECOWAS region and so I stand on behalf of
all the Presidents of ECOWAS and wish that all Nigerians will come out
and express their votes and their votes would count towards electing who
becomes the next leader of this country.”
Mahama also told journalists after
meeting with Buhari that the international community was interested in
the outcome of the elections because of the strategic position Nigeria
occupies on the African continent.
He said, “I arrived here this(Monday)
morning as the ECOWAS chairman at the behest of all the Heads of a
States of ECOWAS to pay a solidarity visit to Nigeria to express our
solidarity with the people of Nigeria in the elections you are going to
hold on March 28.
“The whole of West Africa and indeed,
the whole of the international community is watching your country
because these elections are going to be another step at consolidating
and enhancing democracy in Nigeria.
“I began this(Monday) morning with a
meeting with President Jonathan and we discussed all issues concerning
the intending election and I had firm assurances that everything is set
to go and that on the Match 28 election will come up.
“We expect the elections to be free,
fair and transparent and ECOWAS is going to do everything possible to
work with the political stakeholders and INEC to make sure that the
process is credible and acceptable to the people of Nigeria.
“ I feel assured that all the political leaders are ready for a peaceful, free and fair election.
“Of course, there are a few issues that
he(Buhari) has brought up which I will refer appropriately to our
monitoring group and I hope that the discussions that will take place in
the next few days will address some the issues that have been raised.”
Mahama said he received assurances from
both Jonathan and the INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega, that all was now
set for the elections to go ahead on March 28 as scheduled.
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