Former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, has warned the Federal Government, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as well as government security agencies, especially the police and the army, to stay within their constitutional limits as regards the forthcoming general election.
Anyaoku, who was the chairman of the unveiling of the new look Tribune titles at the Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Lagos State, on Tuesday, said the warning became imperative because the whole world would want to see how far the Federal Government and all these institutions would respect the country’s constitution, the rule of law, and their ability to act independently and fairly in playing their roles in respect of the coming elections.
No country, he pointed out, is an island of itself, especially in this globalising world and therefore, Nigerian government, like all others all over the world, should pay heed to the views of the international community.
Anyaoku, who said Nigeria today is grossly under-performing and lacking national produce than ever before, also urged INEC specifically to be neutral and transparent in the conduct of the elections and make them credible.
He said while the commission on the one hand deserves commendations especially as regards the way it handled the last governorship elections in Anambra and Ondo states, on the other, it attracted critics to itself for its conduct in the subsequent elections in Ekiti and Osun states.
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Speaking further, he said “That is why I am urging INEC to remain aware of the fact that the credibility of our forthcoming general election will depend on the level of its impartiality and transparency demonstrated in ensuring all aspects of the elections are free and fair, thereby making the results to truly represent the wish of Nigerians.
“Indeed, the image and standing of our country within the international community will be significantly affected by how INEC and the Federal Government as a whole seemed to behave in all matters relating to the elections.
Anyaoku, whose third observation on the governance centred on what he called deplorable condition of the sanctity of the human rights in the country, said it was disheartening that Nigerian government and the people do not value human lives as they should.
He recalled that the death of six nationals in Harare during elections last year caused a grave concern to the government and the people of the country such that the incident was considered a national tragedy.
But in Nigeria, he said, “we read everyday in the media of the killing of people in their tens, twenties, thirties and sometimes more, and the government and people seem not to react commensurably to the situations.
“So, if our country is to succeed and experience growth and political stability and realisation of its rich development projection, it must restructure the present governance and return to the full federalism that was practiced years before the the military intervention in the governance.”
Earlier in his appraisal of the Tribune titles, the former Commonwealth scribe, commended the newspapers, saying its 70 years in existence and still waxing stronger by the day is a great achievement.
“It has outlived many of its contemporaries. And it remains strong at 70, as it is generally regarded as a reliable institution, well recognised locally and internationally because of its independent posture to news reporting, its unflinching commitment and stickler to the ethics and ethos of the media profession.
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