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•Meet with Atiku, Kwankwaso, Obi, Tinubu in peace move
Former Nigeria president Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, ex-Ghanaian President John Mahama and other members of the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) Election Mission to Nigeria have appealed for calm while calling on INEC to address the concerns and procedural questions raised so far by different stakeholders.
The Elders also urged INEC to comply with the electoral law and the constitution of Nigeria, as a means of retaining the confidence of Nigerians in the on-going collation of results.
The Elders, in a statement also revealed that they have begun a process of consultations with some of the presidential candidates and other key stakeholders, taking to them a message of peace in order to ensure that there is no breakdown of law and order in the country.
The presidential candidates the Elders have met since the elections include Senator Bola Tinubu of All Progressives Congress, Mr. Peter Obi Of the Labour Party, Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In the statement jointly signed by Jonathan, convener of WAEF and Mahama, Head of WAEF’s Mission to Nigeria’s 2023 Elections, the Forum commended Nigerians for the calmness, patience and maturity they have continued to exhibit as they wait for the collation process to be concluded.
The Mission further noted that Nigerians demonstrated faith and patriotism in their country, by defying the challenges of delay in arrival of electoral materials, voter suppression and incidents of violence to perform their civic duties of voting on election day.
The statement read in part: “The Mission noted how Nigerians across the country demonstrated faith and patriotism in their country, defying many challenges to perform their civic duties. While the elections were peaceful in a number of places, challenges of delay in arrival of electoral materials, voter suppression, ballot box vandalization and incidents of violence in some states, created anxiety among citizens who were passionate to cast their ballots.
“We commend Nigerians for the calmness, patience and maturity they have continued to exhibit as they wait for the collation process to be concluded.
“The Mission notes that some political parties and concerned citizens have raised procedural questions and allegations of infractions of the electoral law in the process of collation of results. We call on all aggrieved parties to document and present their claims to INEC, in accordance with the Electoral Act 2022.
“The Mission notes the imperative of retaining the confidence of Nigerians in the ongoing electoral process and, therefore, urges the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to thoroughly investigate those concerns and comply with the electoral law and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in the process of collating the election results.
“We reiterate that Nigeria is a major stakeholder in the sustainability of democracy in West Africa and the responsibility of maintaining the nation’s thriving democracy and the general peace of our sub-region rest on all our shoulders, especially on the integrity of INEC and other election management bodies in West Africa, during elections. We therefore urge INEC to live up to its responsibility of delivering free, fair and credible elections, in accordance with the nation’s laws.
“WAEF urges political parties, candidates and their supporters to remain calm and peaceful while awaiting the final outcome of the electoral process.
“As former leaders who are committed to peace and stability in our sub-region, we have begun a round of consultations with some of the presidential candidates and other key stakeholders, taking to them our message of hope, understanding and peace.
“So far, WAEF have held meetings with some of the presidential candidates including the Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso and the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in Abuja.
“This afternoon we also held consultations with the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Senator Bola Tinubu and the Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, in an expanded meeting that included the Heads of Missions of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU), His Excellency Ernest Bai Koroma and His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta, respectively, as well as the President of the ECOWAS Commission, His Excellency Dr. Omar Alieu Touray.
“We have continued, in all of these meetings, to urge the candidates and their supporters to maintain peace and use all available legitimate means to sort out their concerns and grievances. We hope to sustain this Mission until the electoral processes are successfully concluded.
“We, therefore, urge everyone to be circumspect in their actions and responsibilities, during this moment in order not to jeopardize the collective stability and peace of the nation.”
