Read ECOWAS Warning To Jonathan, Buhari

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has reportedly issued a dire warning to President Goodluck Jonathan and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari ahead of the country’s elections. 

ECOWAS cautioned President Jonathan and the presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Gen. Buhari to desist from using hate speeches capable of overheating the polity.

This was made known to ThisDay State House correspondents on Monday by the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security at the commission, Salamatu Suleiman.

He made the disclosure shortly after the commission’s team visited President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

“The President of ECOWAS (Ouedraogo) said the observers went to all the different geo-political zones and they made observations on issues relating to distribution of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) and other issues. These issues as the President said were deemed necessary to share with the President of the country (Jonathan), INEC and the leading opposition party, the APC. One of the issues is that our long term observer missions noticed that there was a lot of hate media, hate speeches being distributed, it is not good for our polity and is heating up the polity,” he said

Meanwhile, President Ouedraogo has reportedly spoken to all stakeholders to look into inflammatory statements and desist from it in the electoral process, insisting that it is an aspect the media can help greatly in addressing.

“This is a very important election for Nigeria, Nigerians are concerned, ECOWAS Community is very much concerned that it all comes out very well and that we all owe it as a duty to say very positive things that can move this nation forward,” Suleiman said.

Speaking earlier at the meeting, ECOWAS President, Kadre Desire Ouédraogo, explained that the organization by virtue of its mandate, is to monitor and observe all the electoral processes within its community, adding that for that reason it has sent a fact-finding mission to Nigeria led by John Kufuor former President of Ghana.

Ouédraogo said ECOWAS has set up a long term observation that came into Nigeria and were deployed to five geo-strategic zones of the country and had made their report.

“Inspite of the postponement of the elections, there was a de-briefing with them and we think is us necessary to share their observations with all the stakeholders and it is in that respect of that we came this morning to inform His Excellency about the findings and recommendations of our fact- finding mission. We are going to engage with all the stakeholders, the APC candidate and INEC to share with them the findings if our observation mission.We have also issued a declaration following the postponement of elections, appealing for calm and understanding and also appealing to all authorities to make sure the constitution is respected,” he said.

On the other hand though in a similar call, Chief of Observer, European Union (EU), Santiago Fisas, also called on President Jonathan to reaffirmed his commitment on May 29 hand over date to a new government.

Speaking to State House correspondents immediately after the EU team met with Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Fisas said as the European Union Chief of Observer, he is mandated to meet with all the candidates for the elections.

“I met twice with Gen. Buhari and today yesterday President Jonathan very kindly accepted to receive me and my team, the EU Ambassador, the Deputy of Observer European Union, colleagues, just to have exchange of views about the elections. I am very happy to be assured by the President that the inauguration of the next president will take place on May 29th. I think this is very good news because this is constitutional,” Fisas said.

When Fisas was asked if he believed what President Jonathan told him, he said ‘yes,’ adding that he has no reason to doubt Mr. President, especially as he spoke publicly to them and journalists,

The chief observer, who hinted that the delegates also asked the President questions on the security situation, said: “Jonathan assured that in a very short period of time the security situation will improve a lot.” 

Meanwhile, it is not only the ECOWAS that has made its stand on peaceful and violence free polls known as it would be recalled that the APC gubernatorial candidate in Sokoto state, Aminu Tambuwal, has also assured electorates that next month’s general polls will be peaceful, free and fair.