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Monday, February 25, 2008

Africa's Fraudulent Elections - A Non-Violent Alternative (Atiku Abubakar)


Qorvis Communications (Washington, DC)

PRESS RELEASE
23 February 2008
Posted to the web 25 February 2008

By Atiku Abubakar


Nigeria will soon confront one of the most difficult challenges that any emerging Democracy must face, whether the rule of law as set by the courts will prevail. The Nigerian Supreme Court will soon decide if it will nullify last year's presidential elections on fraud charges. How the government reacts could well determine the future of the country. Nigeria is a sovereign nation, but the United States must urge the current leaders to abide by the Supreme Court's ruling. If not, the unfolding tragedy in Kenya and the violence in that neighboring country could well repeat itself.

On December 27th, Kenyans went to the polls to elect a president. The election was close, pitting an incumbent President Mwai Kibaki against opposition leader, Raila Odinga. Faced with the prospect of losing, President Kibaki apparently chose to steal the election, and in doing so, he precipitated an ethnic civil war. Thus far, about 1,000 Kenyans have died, and another 300,000 have fled their homes.


The election fraud last April in Nigeria was much worse than Kenya's. Incumbent President Obasanjo manipulated every stage of the process. Although I was elected as his Vice President, by the end of his second term, he used every instrument at his command to try to soil my reputation and prevent me from running so as to leave a clear path for him to change the constitution and allow himself a third term. I opposed his effort and was joined by a courageous majority in Parliament that prevented the constitutional change. The Supreme Court also stood up to him and rejected the charges of corruption that he trumped up against me. On the eve of the election, the Supreme Court ordered the Election Commission to put my name on the ballot.

By then, it was too late for my party to organize to win the election, but Obasanjo took no chances. He instructed the Chair of the Election Commission, Maurice Iwu, a pharmacist, to concoct the election results like a drug prescription.

Virtually every international and domestic observer denounced the fraud. General Buhari and I were the two principal opposition candidates, but instead of inflaming our supporters as the Kenyan leaders did, we encouraged our people to stay calm, and we took our case to court. The courts moved swiftly to nullify state elections, and they are now considering validity of the presidential election.

It is imperative that all of us have confidence that the Court will make the right decision, and I certainly have decided to place my trust there. If the Justices declare the election valid, I will accept the result. If they annul the election, the Court and our country will become a model for all of Africa, but we will need solidarity within Nigeria and help from the world to turn the promise of such a decision into a real democracy. The problem is that if a new election is held under Iwu and the same election law, it will be fraudulent, and the people will lose their patience.
If the Appeals Court declares the Presidential election invalid, I will urge my supporters to remain calm, and I will ask the other presidential candidates to join me to invite a group of world leaders to help us fashion a new Election Commission and a new Election Law that would permit us to adhere to the Constitution and prepare for Nigeria's first genuinely free and fair election.

Kenya has disillusioned many democrats in Africa. Our hope is that Nigeria's Supreme Court will send a message to all Africans that democracy is not only possible, it is essential to peace and ethnic coexistence. Incumbents will no longer be permitted to manipulate the electoral process. Election Commissions must be genuinely autonomous, impartial, and professional.

I pledge to do all that I can to assure that democracy and rule of law return to Nigeria peacefully. We hope that the world will stand with us and give Africans a reason again for hope."

Atiku Abubakar was Vice President of Nigeria from 1999-2007. He was the Presidential candidate of the Action Congress in the fraudulent election of April 2007.

18 comments:

  1. The Nigerian VP had faith in their courts i don't blame him...From history expecting ODM to go to court is a tall order this is coz Moi rigged and the words of Matiba himself he said Kibaki perfected it.....I think these elections have just sent a warning to wengine wenye tabia kama hiyo ya kuiba kura, to be careful coz they just won't know what hit them the next time they will try to steal elections.....Where is Tuju, He who laughs last laughs loudest

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  2. Is this Obasanjo not one of Raila Ondinga's best friends and was even guest of honour at his son's wedding ceremony? Maybe Raila should have consulted him before going into the Elections and not now afterwards. I am sure Obasanjo could have given him some advise how to do things better. Running now to Nigeria to get his advise, may have been too late. I am sure Obasanjo told him that.

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  3. Kenya does not have a supreme court or constitutional court! It would have been part of the Bomas constitution, which pnu is fighting so hard.
    Kenya only has a chief justice, who participates in a crazy swearing in ceremony and who is willing to interfere in any court case of importance.

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  4. In Kenya election petition take 5 years to finalize...

    At least Nigeria has a Federal system with Supreme and Constitutional courts

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  5. Atiku Abubakar is a bigger thief than Obasanjo. He has no moral right to criticise any one. Jinga

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  6. Raila Odinga was spotted in Juba, South Sudan, talking with SPLA leaders. He is now headed to Pretoria, South Africa.

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  7. Raila Odinga left Nigeria and headed to to South Sudan for a secret visit.

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  8. he headed to South Africa on a Nigerian chartered flight, he seeks audience with ANC leaders and mbeki himself.

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  9. Anonymous said...

    Raila Odinga left Nigeria and headed to to South Sudan for a secret visit.

    Anonymous said...

    he headed to South Africa on a Nigerian chartered flight, he seeks audience with ANC leaders and mbeki himself.



    BOTH PNU MEMBERS HERE ARE COPYING DAILY NATION WITH THE PROPAGANDA AGAIN?? (Seems the same person who keeps spreading propaganda)martha karua maybe- it wouldn't surprise me!!!


    SURELY AREN'T THEY AWARE THAT RAILA ARRIVE IN KENYA and was at the Sunday meeting with his Mp and councilors at Karen Barcleys club?? or they are so un-educated even to read the kenyan Newspapers??

    BY the way SUDAN CONGRATULATED KIBAKI- SO HOW CAN RAILA ENTER SUDAN SPACE?? ITHINK THEY ARE CONFUSING RAILA AND KIBAKI
    KIBAKI GOT A FREE PASS TO SOUTH SUDAN WITH THE PLA AND UGANDA TOO!!

    SORRY GUYS AS MUCH AS YOU WOULD LIKE TO TARNISH RAILA'S NAME IN DESPERATION- IT AIN'T WORKING!!!
    GO TAKE YOUR PROPAGANDA ELSE WHERE OR ADVICE THE DAILY NATION NEXT TIME TO GIVE YOU FACTS! YOU ALL ACTUALLY LOOK REALLY FOOLISH !!

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  10. I SECOND THAT- I THINK IT IS KIBAKI THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT!HE FLEW TO UGANDA TO MEET MUSEVENI AGAIN THIS WEEKEND UNDER THE NIGHT SHADOWS THEN CROSSED OVER TO SUDAN TO MEET WITH THE PLA!! REMEMBER THIS ARE THE COUNTRIES WHICH CONGRATULATED HIM!!

    ALL OF THEM RIGGED ELECTIONS JUST LIKE HIM!

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  11. I heard it is Kibaki who flew to Sudan?? after which the Sudan president endorsed his presidency?? went to meet museveni too and now he is planning to go to Ethiopia!!

    Nigeria courts maybe are not hand picked by their president unlike the Kenya courts- so I'm not sure why this post is even here - there is no comparison with the KENYA SITUATION EXCEPT FOR THE RIGGING!!

    EVEN SCHOOL CHILDREN (our next generation are aware of the Kenya corrupt court system)

    GOOD LUCK TO NIGERIA EVEN THOUGH THE SAME V.P I HEAR WAS CORRUPT!!
    I WOULD NOT BET ON ANYTHING IF I WERE HIM!!WHY WOULD THE WORLD HELP NIGERIA TO REPLACE A CORRUPT LEADER WITH ANOTHER?? MAYBE A RE-ELECTION WITH SOME OTHER PLAYERS WOULD BE MORE EFFECTIVE!!

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  12. PNU ....Foolish Indeed!!!

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  13. Or is is foorish indeed

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  14. Anon @3:13AM. do you know how to read and comprehend facts fully? This post was written by former VP Atiku Abubakar, not Obasanjo as you blindly state. Put down the tobacco and pay attention to the facts before you give us your "enlightened" opinion!

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  15. The fact of the matter is that Raila is entitled to travel for his private business and it should not be a concern to anyone.
    What i`m worried about is Ida mis-advising Raila on a number of issues.

    Let us not forget that First Raila is an opportunist and was in KANU, then he joined FORD, then he went to FORD KENYA, then he went to NDP, then he went back to KANU, then he went to LDP, then he went to NARC, then back to LDP, then he went to ODM, then he went to ODM KENYA, then back to ODM! Oh!

    AND THEN, Ntimama, Ruto, Jirongo,Mudavadi, Kosgey, Kosgei, Balala, Ngilu, Nyaga are all OLD- KANU crooks and diehards who are out now shouting the loudest thinking kenyans have forgoten 24 yrs of their mess with MOI. I sometimes wonder, these people have no shame!!!
    Kosgey run down to the ground BIMA, Kenya-RE and NHIF, Ruto and Jirongo run to the ground NSSF, and Kosgei took over all the ADC farms that were once public to personal property.

    OOh..! my gosh the list goes on and on not to mention all the OLD-KANU diehards fighting behind the scene.

    What surprises me is that they are putting all these on poor innocent Kikuyus.

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  16. ooooh and kibaki was where?

    he dropped from the sky into dp? he never stepped into kanu?

    aii...stop hating on odmers....especially raila he's more out of kanu than kibaki...kibaki's psyche is soaked in kanu, dont you see his dictatorial ways? kenyatta na moi damu!!

    isnt pnu kanu? chama ya moi?coz moi is kanu if you didnt know!!

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  17. Sons and daughters of the soil,why wast your time discussing the ills of these fellows.All of them have a cloud sollounding their pasts and they are the followers of the evil one.....Madevil worshippers!

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  18. Sons and daughters of the soil,why wast your time discussing the ills of these fellows.All of them have a cloud sollounding their pasts and they are the followers of the evil one.....Madevil worshippers!

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