Nigerian Voters Named Heroes Of 2015 Polls—Former Nigerian Envoy
Nigerian voters have been described as the real heroes of the March 28 and 29, 2015 elections for their level of patience, perseverance and resilience demonstrated during the polls. Former Nigerian Ambassador to Chad and Executive Director, Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD), Ambassador AbdullahiOmaki, stated this yesterday while noting that the Nigerian electorate have brought pride to the country in a collective quest to enshrine democracy in Nigeria and Africa at large.
“Against all odds, the Nigerian electorate were determined to vote and make their votes count. Indeed, they are the real heroes of the 2015 elections and are no doubt committed to the sustainability of democracy in Africa's most populous country”.
Omaki saluted President Goodluck Jonathan for his statesmanship, reaction to technical glitches and call for tolerance by all across the country.
According to Omaki, 'The Savannah Centre believes that despite the minor hitches that characterised the accreditation and voting exercise, the card readers have largely performed above average, hence, enhancing the integrity and credibility of the election process.
“It is a system that should be perfected to become a permanent feature in our elections because it largely served the purpose for which it was introduced to stop or reduce to the barest minimum, forms of fraud associated with accreditation processes”.
Omaki, on behalf of the Savannah Centre commended security agencies for maintaining security across the country. He, however, expressed disappointment that despite the efforts, violence still erupted in some states like Gombe, Rivers, Enugu and Anambra.
He also commended INEC for the prompt intervention in some of the isolated cases, which led to the continuation of voting on Sunday, March 29, 2015, and urged the commission to speedily resolve complaints associated with disagreements over the allegations from Rivers state.
Omaki called on INEC to ensure that the votes of the electorate are protected in order not to subvert the mandate of the people while commending the civil society organisations for their vigilance on the democratic process.
The former envoy, charged all Nigerians to rally together and promote the corporate greatness of the nation rather than succumb to narrow parochial interests.
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The Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development is a non- governmental think-tank committed to policy advocacy and analysis in three thematic areas - Diplomacy, Democracy and Development.
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