A former coordinator of the Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, Mr. Osaro Onaiwu, has questioned the essence of the National Peace Committee, led by a former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar.
Onaiwu in a statement in Abuja on Monday wondered why the committee was yet to make its position known over the widespread violence and ‘militarization’ of the governorship and State House of Assembly elections that held on Saturday.
“It is trite asking where is the Abdulsalami -led National Peace Committee in the face of the obvious abuse of state power in last Saturday’s governorship and State House of Assembly elections in places like Rivers State, Akwa Ibom, Imo and Delta State and a host of other opposition states,” Osaro, who also served as Director-General, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum, 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 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 out-rightly, which have been declared inconclusive by the INEC gives one serious concern.
“It is important that the INEC and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at the centre come to the reality that Nigeria is and has never been a one-party state, so for any entity or people to want to circumvent the will of the people in places like Adamawa, Benue, Taraba, Sokoto, Kano, Imo, Bauchi and Rivers is an invitation to anarchy,” Osaro warned.
He went on to call 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.
“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.”
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