Many parties claiming victory of presidential election worrisome ― NOA

Collins Nnabuife – Abuja

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has expressed worry over the situation where more than one party claimed they won the just concluded presidential election.

The NOA while saying that in any presidential election, one candidate must emerge as the winner, stated that is not unusual that some will feel dissatisfied after any election.

The Director General of NOA, Dr Garba Abari while speaking at a Breakfast Meeting with Media Heads in the Aftermath of the 2023 General Election, said caustic, insulting narratives that characterized the campaigns must now cease on all sides.

The Breakfast Meeting was done in partnership with International Alert and with support from the UKAID.

“It is not unusual that some will feel dissatisfied after any election. This is so because, in the case of the electoral contest for the position of President, only one candidate can win at a time. Our current situation where more than one political party is claiming victory holds ominous signs for the polity if not delicately managed.

“The caustic, insulting narratives that characterized the campaigns must now cease on all sides. This is a period for building bridges of understanding across the divide. We must all come to the realization that we need a peaceful stable country to be able to practice our various vocations.

“The politicians who want to lead us at various levels now and in the future must realize that if we lose the peace that we enjoy today if we descend into violence and chaos if we engage in acts that can open doors for dark people with ulterior motives to take advantage and wreak havoc on our country, we will all be losers. It is by far easier to destroy than it is to build,” he said.

He said one of the big challenges of Nigeria is in managing the post-election situation.

“In our country, we still close schools and restrict movement on election day just to ensure that citizens do not run into the violence associated with the election. Our history is replete with the story of violence since we chose to practice democracy as a way of selecting leadership in our country.

“Today, the challenge facing us is how to sustain the peace and stability in the country. It is at times like this that patriots, elder statesmen and women, men and women of goodwill who put country over self must rise up to be counted.

“Reasonable voices should be counted on the side of moderation, and temperate conversation. We must all be sensitive and circumspect in the things that we say, write or show on our screens. I call on the major stakeholders in the political events that are unfolding to rein in their key supporters,” he added.

Paul Nyalaku from the International Alert said their focus is on building stability, dousing and de-escalation tensions among groups.

“At International Alert, we are a core peace-building organisation, focused on building stability and ensuring that wherever there are tensions or disagreement between groups, we do all that we can to come in between to see how different groups can come together towards de-escalation.

“We work very closely with other Civil Society Groups, we have seen most of the reports that have come out, but the focus for us is how key stakeholders can open a conversation that will help us to chart forward towards building stability, de-escalation of whatever tension and all together see how we can join our hands together towards peace,” he said.

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