By Louis Ibah
A coalition of civil society organisation has cautioned aggrieved political parties against inciting speeches capable of truncating democracy in the country.
The group comprising Campaign for Dignity Governance, Committee for Protection of Peoples Mandate, Centre for 21st Century Issues, Movement for Democratic Change and Centre for Human and Socio-Economic Rights at a press conference in Lagos, yesterday, decried attempts to discredit the entire 2023 poll as the worse in the country’s history and calls for its outright cancellation and swearing-in of an interim government.
It describing those canvasing that the president-elect, Bola Tinubu should not be sworn in as anti-democratic elements who do not mean well for the country.
Convener, Campaign for Dignity in Governance, Razaq Olokoba, who addressed on behalf of the group warned against taking steps akin to the aftermath of the June 12 1993, whose annulment and subsequent installation of an interim national government was unhelpful to the growth of democracy in Nigeria.
Olokoba also demanded that security agents arrest and prosecute all those alleged to have perpetrated violence in the just concludes general elections across states.
“We condemn in totality the pockets of violence, voters’ intimidation and harassment which occurred i some polling stations during the election and we demand that security agencies investigate and take appropriate scions to remedy these infractions that have become a recurring decimal across the country at every election cycle.”
He implored candidates and political parties that have taken their case to court to trust in the judicial process and desist from making provocative and subversive statements that could threaten democracy and national security.
Olokoba claimed that amid pockets of violence and irregularities, the 2023 polls were conducted in substantial compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act and that the outcome reflected the wishes of the people. He said unlike previous polls were higher number of persons were killed, data of deaths from the 2023 poll insidated
He said some of the comments made by some politicians following the conclusion of the polls were treasonable and embracing to the country.
“We urge the security agencies to rein in on these anti-democratic elements to face the law or subversion and treason where is it established after investigation,” he said.
