The president of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Archbishop Daniel Okoh has called on all the presidential candidates of the recently held election in Nigeria to abide by the spirit and letter of the Peace Accord they signed before the elections, reminding them that Nigeria is the only country they have, and that they must do everything to keep it safe, united and peaceful.
The CAN president, in a statement encouraged all political actors, elder statesmen, eminent personalities in the society as well as religious and traditional leaders to make proactive interventions to calm any tensions and nip signs of violence in the bud.
Before the election all the presidential candidates of 18 political parties were summoned to Abuja to sign the peace accord, a pact towards a peaceful election in the election.
All the candidates converged at the International Conference Centre, Abuja for the landmark occasion.
Among the presidential candidates present were Bola Tinubu (APC), the president elect; Peter Obi (LP), Atiku Abubakar (PDP), Rabiu Kwankwaso (NNPP), and Dan Nwanyanwu (ZLP).
Some of the peace committee members present included General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Bishop Matthew Kukah, and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar III. Other attendees were the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Alkali Baba, and former president of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, who leads the Commonwealth Election Observer Group to Nigeria.
Archbishop Daniel Okohwhoalso described the presidential and National Assembly elections as far below the reasonable expectations of the people, however lamented that the polls were marred by late arrival of election materials in parts of the country, malfunction of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BIVAS) machines, failure of electronic transmission of results to virtual results viewing portal amid other structural challenges in the electoral process.
The cleric said these flaws took place despite repeated assurances from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on its solid preparedness for the polls.
“These have not only cast a shadow of doubt on INEC’s sincerity to deliver a transparent and fair general election this year, but has also threatened the credibility of the entire system. It is, therefore, important that explanation be given to Nigerians as to why the preventable lapses were not addressed in a timely manner.
“Ideally, when people vote, the votes should be counted and allowed to reflect in the result the electoral umpire announced. Anything short of that, remains an aberration in any democratic context and contest,” he said.
Archbishop Okoh said elections are vital for the country’s stability and democratic consolidation, and so the process must be conducted and concluded safely, fairly and credibly.
He, however, called for calm amid provocations arising from the shortfalls of the polls. He urged political parties, candidates, supporters and the public to desist from actions that could create needless tensions or stoke any form of violence that could put the country on a precipice.
He specifically asks all presidential candidates to abide by the spirit and letter of the Peace Accord they signed before the elections, reminding them that Nigeria is the only country they have, and that they must do everything to keep it safe, united and peaceful.
The CAN president encouraged all political actors, elder statesmen, eminent personalities in the society as well as religious and traditional leaders to make proactive interventions to calm any tensions and nip signs of violence in the bud.
He, equally, asked INEC to do all within its scope of authority to ensure the will of the people as expressed through the ballots during last Saturday’s presidential and federal legislative elections count.
“INEC must rise to the occasion in the face of this precarious situation and do everything possible to win back the slipping confidence of the people in the electoral system, especially as the country prepares for the governorship and state legislative polls in days time.”
He reminded INEC that the international community is watching the behaviour of Federal Government and its agencies, especially the police, army and other law enforcement agents to see how far they respect the country’s constitution, rule of law and obligation to act well in playing their roles in respect of elections.
He commended the electorate for the huge number of voter turnout, which is even more than the population of several countries.
“However, the implication is that, once anything goes wrong in our country, it will have a ripple effect across West Africa and beyond,” he said.
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