Bola Badmus – Lagos
Nigerians have been enjoined to continue to work to preserve the peace and stability in the nation in order to consolidate democracy and the rule of law, especially in a challenging socio-political context.
Coordinator of the International Police Chaplain Sustainable Development and Law Enforcement (IPCSL) and Head of Election Observation Mission in Nigeria, Johaness Makouvia, made the call on Monday in Lagos, while delivering a preliminary statement of the Election Observation Mission on gubernatorial and House of Assembly Elections, which held last Saturday.
Makouvia commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), domestic and foreign observers, civil society organizations, various political parties and Nigerians for making the gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections possible, saying that “all of them have shown the spirit of patriotism and democracy.”
The rights activist noted that the mission deployed 182 election observers in all 36 states and in each of the six geo-political zones of the country, adding: “The observers met with stakeholders active in their areas of deployment and observed voting and counting operations.”
Speaking further, Makouvia noted that the election mission observed some acts of violence recorded in Lagos State, but quickly declared that such “acts of incivility are by no means to be encouraged and do not show the exemplary character of the citizens who perpetrated these acts.”
The head of the observer team, while reeling out the Mission’s recommendations urged that INEC should continue to interact with political parties and civil society organizations in order to strengthen the national social fabric.
Besides, he urged candidates and political actors to resort to legal channels in case of contestation, saying that they should use political dialogue in all circumstances to sustain social peace.
This was just as he called on the Federal Government to take the necessary measures to ensure greater mobilization throughout the electoral process.
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