Nigeria’s Safety and Security Is The Safety and Security of The Whole of ECOWAS - ECOWAS Calls for Free and Fair Polls

In view of the Saturday presidential election in Nigeria, Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State of the Economic Community of West African States and Ghanaian President, John Draman Mahama, on Monday called for free, fair and credible election.

Mahama made the call, when he met with President Goodluck Jonathan at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja.

According to the Ghanaian president, ECOWAS was interested in the conduct of a peaceful and credible election in the country.

“I am here in my capacity as the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of States of ECOWAS on election visit to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. As you are aware, our sub-region this year, has five countries that are going through elections and ECOWAS has been involved in ensuring that this elections are held in a peaceful and transparent environment.

“And so ECOWAS has undertaken in all these countries that are facing elections, to provide long term electoral observer missions. These missions have been monitoring the electoral process in the lead up to the elections not just before the elections, but from a longer period. We have received several monitoring reports and we are working together with the electoral commissions of the countries and the authorities of those countries

“We have tried to ensure that obstacles to free and fair elections are removed to ensure that election are free and fair, people would accept the results of those elections. As chair of the authorities of Heads of State of ECOWAS, I have extended my solidarity to the Nigerian people through my brother President Jonathan, to see that the whole of ECOWAS, not only ECOWAS, but the international community is in solidarity with Nigeria to have a very transparent election so that the democratic process in Nigeria will be better entrenched,” he said.

While indicating the significance of the election to the survival of the country, the ECOWAS chief added “This is a critical election for Nigeria and it will be one more indication for the world that Nigeria is a democratic country and ruled by tenets of good governance and the rule of law.

“And so, we want to wish you all the best. We are meeting with the INEC to look at the state of preparedness and we believe that following the postponement of the election, from February 14 to March 28 has given the INEC much more time to be able to meet all its processes and be in readiness to ensure that voters are not disenfranchised and that the results of the elections are accepted.

“We expect that there will be no post election violence and that all the parties involved in the election will accept the results of the election in good faith when INEC has announced the results of the elections.

“ECOWAS will continue to monitor the situation and will do everything possible to stand in solidarity with the Nigerian people to ensure that these elections pass on successfully and Nigeria continues in the role that it plays in our sub -regional bodies. As you know, Nigeria is a very important member of ECOWAS.

“The largest economy, the largest nation in the ECOWAS region and so Nigeria’s safety and security is the safety of and security of the whole of ECOWAS region and so I stand on behalf of all the presidents of ECOWAS and wish that all Nigerians will come out and express their votes and their votes will count towards electing who becomes the leader of this country for the next four years.”

Jonathan, who was on his way to Bauchi to commission some projects, thanked the ECOWAS boss for the body’s concerns about the nation’s electoral process even as he assured that there would be free and fair elections. (THISDAY)