Posted by From LUCKY NWANKWERE, Abuja on
President Olusegun Obasanjo has said in spite of the obvious malpractices which were the hallmark of last Saturday's governorship and state House of Assembly elections, the country, no doubt, has made remarkable progress as far as the conduct of elections is concerned.
•Says we're making progress
President Olusegun Obasanjo has said in spite of the obvious malpractices which were the hallmark of last Saturday's governorship and state House of Assembly elections, the country, no doubt, has made remarkable progress as far as the conduct of elections is concerned.
He stated this in a nationwide broadcast this morning on tomorrow's election, pointing out that as condemnable as the malpractices were, it would, however, be wrong for anyone not to see the progress being made steadily as a country in the conduct of elections.
'Yes, there have been allegations of malpractices of multiple voting, ballot box snatching, collation manipulation, intimidation, threats and use of violence. All these must be roundly condemned no matter who engaged in them.
They cannot help the consolidation, deepening and strengthening of our democratic process and dispensation.
'But looking back into the history of elections in Nigeria , since colonial days, one will ask the question - are we making progress? For me as someone who had taken active part in elections since 1959, my answer is unqualified Yes. We are making slow and steady progress. Rigging massively in those days used to begin from voters' registration.
'The system, today, has almost completely eliminated possible massive rigging through voters' registration. In those days, not all areas were free for all contestants to visit for campaign. There were no go areas. Today, there is no no-go-area for any contestant nationally to the best of my knowledge. Let us seize the high tide of history. Never have we progressed this far in our democratic journey. Nothing should be done to prevent us from achieving this significant political landmark," he stated.
The president, who said preparations for the elections were acclaimed by all as reasonably good, did not, however, deny that the execution was marred by widespread malpractices with a lot of results still being contested by parties and individual contestants with resultant loss of lives and properties and attendant security problems.
Saying, no human arrangement or undertaking can be said to be perfect, he urged all registered voters to once again come out en masse to exercise their civic responsibilities in tomorrow's election, reminding them that 'the world is watching us and we cannot afford to disappoint ourselves, our friends and the world."
He said no matter what difficulties we are encountering with the system, there was no alternative to democracy and as such, it was incumbent on everyone to ensure that we continue to 'improve on the structure and the house rather than pull it down because it is leaking in part."
Luckily, he explained that the system provides for means of seeking redress for anybody who feels aggrieved or unjustly dealt with at the polls and admonished all aggrieved persons to explore all avenues for seeking redress rather than taking to jungle justice and running down the totality of the country and all it stands for.
He lauded those who he said had despite their grievances, taken to the path of law and order by following the process laid down for redress.
While he challenged INEC to do everything possible to strengthen the integrity of the process, the system and the outcome of the exercise, he told law-enforcement agencies to deal strictly and firmly with electoral offenders, irrespective of their status in the society.
He advised political parties to restrain themselves and their supporters from undermining the process through manipulation of the process, while appealing to both local and international observers to understand some of our limitations as a complex developing nation and not to exaggerate the negative 'and thereby throw out the baby with the bath water."