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Make Buhari, Atiku Commit to Rancour-free Polls, Group Begs EU, UK, US
By Ogheneuvede Ohwovoriole in Abuja
Apparently disturbed by the possibility of manipulation of the forthcoming polls, a group made up of prominent Nigerians, whose membership cuts across the globe, has appealed to the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the European Union (EU) to do all within their powers to ensure that the Nigerian elections are conducted peacefully and creditably.
The group known as ‘We The People of Nigeria,’ led by a prominent lawyer, Dr. Lloyd Ukwu, made the plea after its three-member delegation made presentations to key functionaries of the European Union in Brussels, Washington and London on the need for them to be fully involved in ensuring that the Nigerian elections, rescheduled by a week, are conducted under a free, fair and credible atmosphere, devoid of any form of threat.
A statement made available to journalists in Abuja last night by Ukwu, who is the founder and head of delegation to the countries, said that during the visit, the team met, discussed and engaged with the US State Department, US Congress and the Senate of the United States of America and delivered a letter to the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Mr. Cohen, in New York, all in a bid to ensure the success of the Nigerian elections.
According to him, in all the three countries visited, the delegation insisted that their hosts should ensure that the elections now rescheduled for February 23 and March 9, 2019, are not rigged by any of the parties and that no violence is visited on anyone before, during and after the polls.
The group asked the international community to insist that Nigerians are not intimidated, threatened, killed or denied their basic human and democratic rights in the course of the elections, warning that Nigerians would not accept the result of rigged polls.
The three-man delegation called on those countries to impress upon President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the PDP to work towards violence-free elections.
The statement said, “We ask that efforts are undertaken in advance of the elections to call upon both principal candidates and parties, incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to pledge to work towards an election that is fair and free from corruption and violence.
