The Chair of the Commonwealth
election observers, former
Nigerian President Goodluck
Jonathan has said the Sunday
elections will only be peaceful if
losing candidates gracefully concede defeat. He said it was equally important
to realise that, for the poll to be
free and fair all stakeholders,
namely, National Electoral
Commission (NEC), political
parties, police as well as voters must play their part. Jonathan, who was defeated by
former military ruler Muhammadu
Buhari in Nigerian general
election in March, and conceded
defeat, told journalists in Dar es
Salaam yesterday that the Commonwealth Observers Group
started its work in the country
yesterday and expects to meet
with a wide range of
stakeholders including NEC
officials, political parties, civil society organisations, the
diplomatic community as well as
other international and national
observer groups. “If you lose, accept defeat,” he
said, warning that any attempt
to reject the will of the people
can only lead to chaos. The Nigerian former president
insisted that Commonwealth
Observers Group will issue an
interim statement on the
preliminary findings shortly after
the elections and a final report will be prepared in Tanzania. “We will also submit the report
on the Tanzanian elections to
the Secretary General of the
Commonwealth and subsequently
shared with relevant
stakeholders and the public. The group is scheduled to depart in
Tanzania on 31st October 2015,”
he said. He added: “I am greatly
honoured and privileged to have
been asked by the
Commonwealth Secretary
General Kamalesh Sharma to lead
the Commonwealth Observers Group to Tanzania’s general
election that will be taking place
on 25th October 2015” He pointed out that during their
time in Tanzania, they will seek
to assess the pre-election
environment, polling day
activities and the post election
period, against the backdrop of Tanzania’s national legislation,
regional and international
commitments. “Commonwealth Observers
Group in Tanzania was
constituted following an
invitation extended by the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the
United Republic of Tanzania, and we will work according to the
rules and regulations,” he said. Jonathan noted: “Our group
comprises of 14 eminent persons
drawn from across the different
regions of the Commonwealth
countries including Africa, Asia
and the Caribbean, The group which includes experts in politics,
election, media, conflict
prevention and youth affairs. We
arrived in Tanzania on Monday
and will stay here until 31st
October 2015.” He went further saying that the
Commonwealth Observers Group
will perform their observation
role with impartiality,
independence and transparency.
He disclosed that on Friday this week, members of the
Commonwealth Observers Group
will deploy in small teams to
various regions across the
country to observe preparations
ahead of the poling day. He also said that on Election Day,
members of the Commonwealth
Observers Group will observe
opening, voting, closing, counting
and the results management
process. “If all parties including the
National Electoral Commission,
Political Parties, and Police Forces
will play its role, nothing will
stops Tanzania to record a free
and fair election this year,” he said. He insisted: “We hope that our
group’s presence in Tanzania
will demonstrate the
commonwealth’s solidarity with
the people of this country. The
success of these elections depends on every stakeholder
playing their part in the
peaceful, inclusive and
transparent manner, we are
very confidence that we will
achieve the goal.” However, The Commonwealth is a
voluntary association of 53
independent and equal sovereign
states. It is home to 2.2 billion
citizens of which over 60 percent
are under the ages of 30. The Commonwealth includes some
of the world’s largest, smallest,
richest and poorest countries,
Spanning five regions. The thirty
one of its members are small
states, many of them island nations. Commonwealth countries are
supported by an active network
of more than 80
intergovernmental, civil societies,
cultural and professional
organisations. In the same vein, Ekiti State
Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has
hailed the appointment of former
President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan
as leader of a 33-nation
observer mission to the Sunday, October 25, 2015 general
election to be held in Tanzania,
describing it as “a global
recognition of the former
president’s democratic
credentials.” He said: “Jonathan’s
appointment to lead the
Commonwealth observer team,
comprising 33 countries, is
recognition of his remarkable
role in the last presidential election, in which he conceded
defeat, thereby saving Nigeria
from catastrophe that even the
international community thought
would befall the country.” Speaking through his Special
Assistant on Public
Communications and New Media,
Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose
said; “Jonathan should be
celebrated and I am happy that the world is beginning to give
him the deserved recognition
and celebration less than five
months that he left office.” He said Dr Jonathan’s courage
and spirit of sportsmanship in
accepting the outcome of the
presidential election despite the
obvious shortcomings saved the
nation from political chaos and violence, adding that “Jonathan
provided the foundation on
which democracy is standing in
Nigeria today and one is not
surprised that he is being asked
to lead the Commonwealth election observer team from 33
nations to Tanzania. “Even if those who benefitted
from his show of love and
commitment to the peace and
development of Nigeria are
paying him back with persecution
and victimisation, I am happy that the former President and
those who worked with him are
being celebrated globally. “I therefore congratulate Dr
Jonathan and urge those
currently holding power in Abuja
to emulate him by putting Nigeria
and its interests first.” SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

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That is a good one.......

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JONAH HAVE SPOKEN.

THE TRUE NAIJA HERO

A message for peace.