A former coordinator of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) Earl Osaro Onaiwu has called on the international community to take concrete action against those that have worked against the interest of Nigerians to vote leaders of their choice by using state apparatus to coerce, intimidate and even kill fellow citizens.
Onaiwu in a press statement, in Abuja on Monday, also wondered why the National Peace Committee led by a former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, was yet to make its position known on the widespread violence and militarization of the governorship and state assembly elections that held on Saturday.
It read in part: “My hope is that the international community will demonstrate its commitment of protecting democracy in Nigeria by moving against all those that have been identified as having use the security forces to intimidate, suppress and even kill fellow Nigerians.
“The international community like the United Kingdom High Commission has voiced its concerns especially about Rivers State, what I look forward to now is visa ban and travel restrictions on these individuals.”
“It is trite asking where is the Abdulsalami National Peace Committee in the face of the obvious abuse of state power in last Saturday’s governorship and state assembly elections in places like Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Imo and Delta and a host of other opposition states,” Osaro stated.
According to him, it was also imperative that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, demonstrates neutrality and announce the winners of states that have been declared inconclusive for continued peace and consolidation of democracy in the country.
“How can we still be talking about inconclusive polls after 20 years of unbroken democracy? One begins to wonder if at all we are making progress in our electoral management system or we have retrogressed. I am saying this because the number of states, mainly where the PDP is leading outrightly, that have been declared inconclusive by the INEC gives one serious concern.
