Vous êtes ici : Accueil » Afrique de l’Ouest » Nigeria » SAVE NIGERIA GROUP (SNG)

SAVE NIGERIA GROUP (SNG)

PRESS RELEASE

D 6 avril 2011     H 04:44     A     C 0 messages


Following the unfortunate announcement earlier today by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, during which he postponed the scheduled National Assembly elections, an emergency meeting of the Save Nigeria Group took place to appraise the disturbing national development. Delegates from the following organizations took part in the emergency meeting :

1. Lawyers of Conscience

2. Nigerian Progressives in the Diaspora

3. Inter-Society

4. Civil Liberties Organization (CLO)

5. Campaign for Democracy (CD)

6. Conference of Nigeria Youth Organizations (CONYO)

7. United Action for Democracy (UAD)

8. Women Rights Initiative (WRI)

9. National Association of Progressive Students (NAPS)

10. Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP)

11. Christian Progressives

12. Democratic Association of Moslem Scholars (DAMS)

The meeting after appraising the unprecedented development unanimously condemned the failure of the Jega-led INEC to successfully hold the elections as earlier scheduled, in spite of the ample time and huge resources made available to INEC for that purpose. Indeed, what transpired earlier today has vindicated our previous position that this INEC led by Prof. Attahiru Jega cannot be trusted to conduct a free, fair and credible election. Earlier, we had brought to the attention of Nigerians and INEC, the impossibility of a free and fair election in Nigeria given the inflated nature of the voters’ register as compiled by the Jega-led INEC which refused to conduct the required verification and Automated Finger-print Identification System (AFIS) to separate valid voters from invalid ones.

In view of this ugly development, we demand that a Commission of Enquiry be set up by the Federal Government immediately with a view to unraveling the remote and immediate causes of this monumental national embarrassment by the Jega-led INEC which has put the country on the brink of precipice. We also demand that the Jega-led INEC should be probed to ascertain how the huge resources released to it for these general elections have been utilized.

However, we warn that the current development must not be exploited by anti-democratic forces to truncate the ongoing democratic effort. We therefore call on all national stakeholders, including ordinary Nigerians to use all legitimate means to ensure that these elections are held as initially planned and are free, fair, peaceful and credible.

Finally, we call on the electorates and the Nigerian masses to remain vigilant as they await further directives on the way forward.

Signed :

Benedict Ezeagu, Esq.

Ag. National Coordinator, SNG

Barr. Stanly Dien

Ag. Secretary, SNG

Barr. Francis Olabode

Ag.PRO, SNG

Comrade Hilary Ojukwu

Nigerians in Diaspora