By Daniel Kanu
Two advocacy and pressure groups based in the United Kingdom, PO Support Network (POSN) and the Diaspora Action for Democracy (D.A.D) have asked the UK government to show more interest in Nigeria, to avoid collapse of democracy and a breakdown of law and order.
The socially relevant and need-meeting groups made up of Nigerians in the Diaspora, who are committed to ensuring good governance, expressed worry that tension may escalate over the disputed 2023 elections, widely adjudged to be fundamentally flawed.
In an election petition letter delivered to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, The Right Hon. Rishi Sunak, MP, the groups also demanded that the rightful victor in the presidential election should be declared winner, cautioning on the threat of a “stolen mandate” to the unity and peace of Nigeria.
In a statement made available to Sunday Sun, jointly signed by Dr. Udeinya Onovo, POSN UK Head of Strategy & Research, Dr. Innocent Nweke, POSN UK Deputy Coordinator (Operations), and Comrade Princewill Urum, Global Coordinator for UK & Diaspora (Europe), they advised UK to ensure that justice is allowed to prevail.
The groups reminded the UK government in the letter that notable diplomats, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), the Media, and international election observers, including the EU Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) have issued official reports denouncing the elections, particularly the presidential election.
They noted that there was overwhelming evidence that the 2023 General Election was chaotic, fraudulent, rigged, non-credible, and lacking in transparency.
Some of the excerpts from the groups’ letter to the UK Prime Minister read: “The general elections were fundamentally flawed. On the election days, there was widespread violence, vote rigging, ballot box snatching, vote buying, bribery, manufacturing of figures, result falsification, institutional electoral fraud, and election officials failing to upload thousands of election results into INEC Results Viewing (IReV) portal.
“There was a gross violation of the Nigeria Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022, especially Section 60(4) and Section 60(5) of the Act which stipulates how/where the election results should be announced and the approach for the transmission of election results.
“Nigerians are unhappy with INEC and the Nigerian government over widespread violence and allegations of institutional electoral fraud. The situation is worrisome because how much longer would the people of Nigeria exercise restraint and hold their peace before taking matters into their hands is unclear.
“A major crisis may break out soon if the situation in that country does not receive serious attention and intervention from the UK and the International Community.
“It may suffice to say that the UK needs to act quickly to calm the building tension and threat of widespread disorder in Nigeria.”
On what the UK Government could do, the groups urged the Prime Minister to “ensure that the fundamentally flawed elections are not swept under the carpet.
“Hold the Nigerian government accountable for widespread protests and any breakdown of law and order over the institutional electoral fraud perpetrated during the 2023 General Election.
“Make greater efforts to protect the integrity of democracy in Nigeria and ensure that the UK imposes a series of sanctions on all politicians, government officials, and families involved in electoral fraud in Nigeria.
“Insist that the Nigeria Judiciary, the National Assembly, and the Executive uphold fairness, transparency, justice, principles of democracy, and defend the Nigerian Constitution and Electoral Act 2022”.