President Barrack Obama of the United States of America, yesterday urged Nigerians to approach the coming general elections in a peaceful manner devoid of any form of violence.
His appeal came in a special message, five days to Saturday, March 28, Presidential and National Assembly elections. Describing the country as “A great nation,” Obama said, “Now you have a historic opportunity to help write the next chapter of Nigeria’s progress—by voting in the upcoming elections. For elections to be credible, they must be free, fair and peaceful. All Nigerians must be able to cast their votes without intimidation or fear.
“So 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.
“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 stated that having built the largest economy in Africa, the coming polls present Nigerians a historic opportunity to write our next chapter of progress.
According to him, if Nigeria gets the elections right, it will go a long way in helping the country overcome one of its greatest challenges of the Boko Haram insurgency.
“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,” Obama added. The American president praised Nigerians for all the progress of the past years, including the fight for independence, which he attributed to joint efforts and urged that the citizens should in the same spirit approach the coming polls.
“Together, you won your independence, emerged from military rule, and strengthened democratic institutions. You’ve strived to overcome division and to turn Nigeria’s diversity into a source of strength.
You’ve worked hard to improve the lives of your families and to build the largest economy in Africa. “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 United States of America,” Obama concluded. Also yesterday, the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, said the country must ensure that the general elections are transparent, free and fair.
ECOWAS Chairman and Ghanaian President, John Dramani Mahama, who met with President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday in Abuja, stated that the elections would be another indication to the world that Nigeria is a democratic country that is ruled by tenets of good governance and rule of law. Mahama said that ECOWAS expect that there would be no post election violence and that all parties involved in the election would accept the results in good faith.
“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 will be better entrenched,” Mahama said.
He explained that ECOWAS would continue to monitor the situation and do everything possible to stand in solidarity with Nigerians to ensure successful elections and that the country would continue to play its role in the sub regional body.
“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 the country,” he said.
Mahama said he would also meet with the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to know the state of preparedness, saying that the shift in the earlier dates of the elections would have given the body the opportunity to ensure that voters are not disenfranchised and that the results of the elections are accepted. According to him, five countries in the sub-region, including Nigeria are going through elections this year.
He stressed that ECOWAS has been involved in ensuring that the elections are held in a peaceful and transparent environment. ECOWAS, he added, has put in place long term electoral observer missions in the affected countries.
Mahama explained that the missions have been monitoring the process in the lead up to the elections, saying that ECOWAS was working together with the electoral commissions and authorities of the five countries based on the several monitoring reports already received from the observer missions.
