Pro-Democracy Groups Begin Nationwide Rallies Against Polls Shift, ING, Military Coup

February 26, 2015



Pro-democracy groups across Nigeria are set to begin rallies in major cities in the country to warn the federal government against any further shift in election dates, military coup or introduction of interim government. The groups under the banner of Nigerians United for Democracy, NUD unveiled their plans at a news briefing in Abuja today.

While justifying their action, they said “More than two decades ago, the Nigerian people led by the progressive extraction of the civil society protested against the manipulation of political transition from military dictatorship to democratic rule. Notwithstanding the repressive attacks on our people by the military power mongers, the Ibrahim Babangida junta was defeated. The political crisis over the annulment of the results of the presidential election held on June 12, 1993 culminated in the imposition of the Interim National Government headed by Chief Ernest Shonekan. To the utter dismay of the military hierarchy, the Interim National Government was declared illegal and unconstitutional by the Lagos High Court.

“The anti-democratic forces regrouped under General Sani Abacha who sacked the illegal Interim National Government and installed himself a military head of State. The murderous junta waged an unsuccessful war against the Nigerian people for 5 years. In the process, some of the political leaders who had collaborated with the dictator were either eliminated or chased into exile. At the end of the day, the maximum ruler was defeated by the Nigerian people. His successor, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, had no choice but to hand over power to a civilian regime headed by General Olusegun Obasanjo.

Instead of building and strengthening the institutions of democracy, the Obasanjo Administration engaged in the subversion of the Constitution. The autonomy of public institutions was jettisoned. The rule of law was disregarded as court orders were treated with disdain. The leadership of the National Assembly and the ruling party was imposed and changed by the Presidency at will. Candidates were handpicked while the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC became an extension of the Presidency. In a desperate bid to extend his tenure, President Obasanjo decided to foist a third term agenda on the nation. Once again, the Nigerian people defeated the satanic agenda. The “do or die” 2007 general election was crudely manipulated by the Presidency.

It was so embarrassing that the newly elected President, the Late Mr. Umaru Yaradua admitted that the election was highly flawed. Two years later, the President took ill and was flown abroad for treatment. A cabal took advantage of the absence of the President and decided to rule the country by proxy. The Vice President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, was prevented from exercising any power in the absence of the President. Once again, the civil society organizations staged rallies to protest the illegal seizure of power by the cabal. The protests forced the National Assembly to pass a resolution which made President Jonathan the Acting President of the Republic under the doctrine of necessity.

In 2011, a general election was conducted by the INEC under the chairmanship of Professor Attahiru Jega. The presidential election was won by Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. But as the nation was preparing for the 2015 General Election slated for February 14 and 28, 2015, the Jonathan Administration commenced a campaign for postponement. Following the refusal of the Council of State to support the postponement, the National Security Adviser to the President and the security chiefs wrote to the INEC to the effect that they could not provide security for the election, as the armed forces would be involved in a military operation in the north east region. As the operation would last for six weeks the INEC was compelled to shift the election to March 28 and April 11, 2015.

As far as we are concerned, the postponement of the elections at the instance of service chiefs cannot be justified in law. It was a plot to undermine the democratic process and prevent Nigerians from exercising their right of franchise. Having fought the war on terror for six years, there is no indication that the Boko Haram sect would be wiped out in six weeks. Since the operation is limited to 14 local governments there was no basis for not holding election in the remaining 760 local government areas in the federation and the 6 area councils in the federal capital territory.

A former President, Chief Obasanjo has cried out against the plan of the federal government to cancel the election and install an interim national government. In its reaction to the grave allegation, the Presidency accused Chief Obasanjo of trying to head the Interim National Government. However, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke SAN has stated that there is no provision for interim government in the Constitution.

In the circumstance, we wish to warn those who are planning to install an interim government or a coup de tat to discard the idea. We have had enough of dictatorial regimes in Nigeria.

We are however worried that the new election dates are not sacrosanct. According to the INEC chairman, Professor Jega, only the service chiefs could guarantee that the rescheduled elections would hold. That was the submission of the INEC boss when he appeared at the Senate last week. For reasons best known to them, the security chiefs have not assured the nation that security would be provided on the new election dates. We are compelled to call on the National Assembly to extract a firm undertaking from the NSA and the security chiefs that the General Elections would not be further postponed or disrupted.

The undertaking ought to be made publicly by the security chiefs in view of the categorical pronouncement of the Court of Appeal that the armed forces have no role to play in the electoral process. Since all authorities and persons are bound to obey the verdicts of our courts, the President and the security chiefs should demonstrate their commitment to follow the rule of law by withdrawing soldiers from election duties. At the same time, the revelations in the audio cassette recorded by an army Captain on the role of the military and other government officers and their cohorts in the 2014 governorship election in Ekiti state should be investigated without any delay. More so, that some of the dramatis personae have admitted their role in the criminal enterprise.

We need to prevent a slide into anarchy; we need to take our destiny in our hands; we need to ensure that darkness does not once again descend on our country. We are insisting that nothing must change the new dates of March 28 and April 11. Elections must be allowed to hold on these dates. Nigeria is on the march again, this time; no one will be able to halt the decisive will of the people for democracy and sustainable livelihood.

We are also worried by the incumbent move to frustrate INEC in conducting credible election by pushing for the use of Temporary Voter Card which will not allow for the use of Card Readers already procured for checkmating election rigging. The affidavits filed by the Attorney General, Mohammed Bello Adoke that is already in public media further confirms attempt by President Goodluck Jonathan’s government to undermine the use of permanent voter cards (PVCs) in the country’s forthcoming elections, which the main purpose is to perfect plans to rig the March poll.

“Finally, in rejecting the manipulation of the political transition, the Nigerians United for Democracy (NUD) will continue with its rallies at Abuja, Kano, Lagos, Osogbo, Port Harcourt and Imo to condemn the conspiracy of the ruling clique against Nigerians. The rallies is for Nigerians to stand hand-in-hand to speak with one voice against electoral terrorism, against any further poll shift, against any attempt to introduce an Interim Government, against any military incursion into politics, against corruption, against the devaluation of the national currency and conspiracy to use the court to frustrate INEC from conducting credible election. We call on Nigerians to come out in large numbers to assert themselves and take control of their destiny.”

Nigerians are united for democracy

February 26, 2015



LAST weekend in Lagos, activist lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), announced the emergence of a new organization, dedicated to the protection of the democratic project in Nigeria. The new organization is called Nigerians United for Democracy (NUD). The new body is a clear indication that Nigerian activists are prepared to go back to the trenches to defend the hard won space of democracy in our country.
This new initiative was triggered by anger at the decision taken by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to postpone by six weeks, the elections initially scheduled to commence on February 14th.

It was clear that INEC had been forced by the nation’s security apparatus to postpone the elections, despite public declaration by the election management body, that it was ready to conduct the elections from February 14th.
It was instructive that INEC had declared that it was better prepared for the postponed elections, than it was for the 2011 elections, which brought President Goodluck Jonathan to power.

The president, his party and supporters had regularly boasted those elections as having been free and fair! The context and reality in 2015 had changed considerably; and while a security excuse was dropped on INEC’s lap as blackmail, potent enough to force the hands of the commission; it was clear that something was gravely rotten in the state of Denmark, to paraphrase Shakespeare!

In the days since INEC was boxed into a security corner, leading to the subsequent elections postponement, a lot came to the fore, which underscore the extent of scheming by anti-democratic forces in the country.

There is the vulgar, orchestrated campaign against the National Chairman of INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega. The same man who presided over the 2011 elections which they laud to high heavens was suddenly turned to the straw man of a desperate group of reactionary individuals and groups, whose sole purpose was to engineer Professor Jega’s exit from INEC.

His “crime” from their perspective, is his fierce independence and refusal to be influenced or bent in a direction to achieve a certainty that their candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan, will be assured of a shoehorn into a new term into office. A group of reactionary old men, centred around the self-declared “Ijaw Leader”, Chief EK Clarke, and including such individuals as Dr. Femi Okuronmu and Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, has been at the forefront of a scurrilous campaign attempting to turn Professor Attahiru Jega into the issue in the 2015 elections.

They issued a particularly irresponsible accusation that the INEC Chairman was coordinating activities with the Northern Elders’ Forum, to ensure that General Muhammadu Buhari emerged winner of the presidential election. At the weekend, Ezeife expressed the minds of members of the reactionary clique when he told SUNDAY SUN newspaper that: “I don’t even want the elections to go ahead, if it must be conducted by Jega, as chairman of INEC”. Without even any sense of shame, the former Anambra state governor openly stated their desire, demanding that Professor Attahiru Jega either resigns or be suspended.

If the coming elections leads to Nigeria’s “death” (Nigeria’s death for these old reactionaries means President Jonathan’s defeat!), then an Interim National Government (ING) should be set up with President Goodluck Jonathan at the helm!

An ING agenda
An Interim National Government (ING) agenda seemed to have taken a life of its own as the desperate last card of those determined to scuttle the democratic project. But it was one that could never fly! Even the Attorney General of the Federation, was forced by circumstance, to state clearly that there was nowhere in Nigerian law that justification can be found for the ING idea.
The build up of national and international forces was also making it a dead on arrival idea. The new pro-democracy body, Nigerians United for Democracy (NUD), also argued that there was no way that President Goodluck Jonathan can lead any so-called Interim National Government. If it ever appeared tempting before, I think by the beginning of this week, having noticed the unpopularity of the idea, even President Goodluck Jonathan was forced to describe any such tilt towards an ING as illegal.

But what remains foggy for Nigerians is the overall agenda of the security apparatus. Yes, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, has assured that the elections will hold at the end of April, but Nigerians are still very suspicious of the cloak-and-dagger scenario that led to the postponement of the elections in the first place.

War against Boko Haram
The past two weeks have also been particularly interesting on the warfront against Boko haram. The rapid advances against the insurgents have been heart warming, with the Chadians Army taking a string of towns and villages. Similarly, the Nigerian Army also witnessed an arousal of martial pride, with our forces finally going on the offensive and rapidly retaking Monguno and Baga.
All of a sudden, there is a concerted information onslaught that seemed targeted at showcasing progress of the war effort as well as to assist the flagging campaign of President Goodluck Jonathan. Nigerian Airforce jets and attack helicopters began pounding targets in Gwoza, Bama and the Sambisa forest. But most intriguing of all, was the open announcement by President Goodluck Jonathan, that the terrorist leader, Abubakar Shekau, will soon be arrested! That was the same Shekau that the security forces announced his killing at least twice in the past year!
By the beginning of this week, a new twist emerged as the story went viral in social media, that the order to arrest Shekau, was part of a political dirty tricks campaign. The opposition APC raised an alarm that there was a plot to “frame up” General Muhammadu Buhari; and the proof was in the order to troops to “capture alive Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau”.
The statement added that “a fake Shekau…will be made to state that he is working” for General Muhammadu Buhari. The essence of this dastardly plan was to deal a fatal blow against the relentless momentum that the Buhari campaign gathered. The circles that have profited so much from the Jonathan administration in the past six years: from the lumpen warlords in the creeks turned billionaires; the oil subsidy beneficiaries; those privileged to get dubious waivers; through to sundry godfathers, like Chief EK Clarke, are looking at defeat in the face and they are scared stiff!

This is the reason they have been launching all types of anti-democratic agendas. And it is this frightening background that kindled the plan to launch Nigerians United for Democracy (NUD)

A National Day of Action has been earmarked for Saturday, February 28th, 2015. On that day, Nigerians are urged to stand hand-to-hand to send a strong message to government and the Nigerian political elite, that citizens will never tolerate any attempt to interfere with the elections or any step to truncate the democratic process. Nigerians are defending democracy because a lot of sacrifice went into winning the democratic spaces that sections of the ruling class are attempting to subvert in 2015!

dunkem21:
APC sponsored Propaganda.

Taylor86:
[s]what more can i say.....GEJ till God speaks cos no protest can stop him[/s]