Some civil society organisations have expressed dismay over the recent European Union Observers’ report on the 2023 general elections held in February 25 and March 18, this year.
The groups namely Coalition (of Pro – Democracy Groups) for A Better Nigeria; Bola Ige Centre for Justice, Beko Ransome – Kuti Memorial Committee, and Grand Council of Yoruba Youths in a statement signed by Comrade Awa Bamiji described the EU report as “biased, preposterous and highly illogical.”
It added that the report worth not celebrating for the following reasons:
1) It smacks of Colonial mentality to still base our civilisation or destiny on decision of Colonial Masters, after 62 years of Independence. It simply means, we are indirectly inviting them to come back to Africa at large and Nigeria in particular for new colonisation;
2) Where were they, when the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) broke into 4 irreconcilable factions of Atiku New PDP; Peter Obi Labour Party (LP); Rabiu Kwankwaso New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP) and Nyesom Wike G – 5 Governors, 3 of them individually facing the African largest Political Party controlling 21 States’ Governors plus that of River and Oyo States belonging to the G – 5 Governors before the Presidential Election, making 23 States’ Governors? This is the Key determinant to any electoral victory;
3) Where were they, when the Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Mr Peter Obi, based his electioneering campaign on Ethnicity and Religion with their adverse effects on the APC controlled States of Lagos, Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Plateau and others during the Presidential election?;
4) Their skewed report means they were happy with this development and even praying for total collapse of the APC led Federal Government into the hands of terribly weak Opposition Candidate like Peter Obi without control of any Local Government Councillor before the Presidential Election. This could be best described as Civilian Coup and we are sure that no single Nation in European Countries had ever experienced this but there’s nothing bad in it, once it’s happening in Africa Continent and it suits their own interest as our Colonial Masters;
5) Apart from freest and fairest June 12, 1993 Presidential election, the electorate themselves adjudged the last Election as having substantial improvement over the previous ones, in terms of use of BIVAS accreditation system, number of violent spots, number of deaths and number of hoodlums arrested during the period;
6) The Report clearly shows they are by now expecting the Country to be engaging in post – Election crisis for them to be making their cool gains through sale of Arms and Ammunition;
7) It’s an adaptation of the earlier Report of YIAGA Africa, the Civil Society Organisation that has never sat down to see any thing good out of the last Election. We don’t blame them because outcome didn’t go their way of interest;
8) We, Coalition of Pro – Democracy Groups for A Better Nigeria, know that Nnamdi Kanu, Leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has British Citizenship and the same Britain, a former leading member of European Union, will do everything within her control to stand against the present Administration as long as Kanu remains in the FGN captivity;
9) We must not forget how long this Nnamdi Kanu stayed in UK after jumping the bail in Nigeria and still challenging the Authority of the Federal Government of Nigeria, FGN;
10) It’s no longer news that majority of this IPOB members are part and parcel of the Labour Party. The reason why the members are always attacking opposing views;
11) The Authors of the Report were aware of the date of resumption of Tribunal Sitting and they think, the best time to fire the spirit of Opposition against the FGN is now;
12) The Report won’t have any iota of influence on the outcome of the Tribunal sitting because if the same Judiciary was able to survive the local intimation and harassment of this same Oppositions right inside the Tribunal Premises, how much less the Paper Tiger Report coming from the European Union Observers as their own official Judgement on the Election of their former Colony, now Republic in the Global Space;
13) The group President Bola Ahmed Tinubu campaigned vigorously more than any of these Opposition Candidates and sold himself as Human and Physical Developer of Decades with indomitable Campaign structure manned by Professionals; and
14) The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) also conducted free and fair Election, result of which indicates the preparedness of the Electorate to embrace the rotational Presidency because Mr President, a Southerner, garnered bloc votes from Northwest and Southwest, which are most populous Regions in Nigeria.
The groups therefore called on good people of Nigeria to disregard the one sided report of the EU but rather remain vigilant to ensure democracy is sustained in the country.
“It’s on this note we are calling on all Patriotic Nigerians to remain calm in this face of European Union Report provocation, because they don’t want the Nation to rest after the Election as foreign Opposition, while awaiting the outcome of the Tribunal,” the statement concluded.
