By John Owen Nwachukwu

The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, has reacted to the issues emanating from Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections.

The religious body, in a statement on Tuesday, appealed for calm, while demanding responsible action from the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

CAN emphasised that elections are vital for Nigeria as a democratic country and for its stability and democratic consolidation, and for these reasons, the process must be conducted and concluded in a free, fair and credible manner.

The Christian body warned against unnecessary tension in the country, urging all political parties, candidates and their supporters to conduct themselves in a peaceful manner.

While demanding that all presidential candidates abide by the spirit and letter of the Peace Accord they signed before the elections, CAN, in a statement signed by its national President, Daniel Okoh, said: “We remind them that this is the only country we have, and we must do everything to keep it safe, united and peaceful.

“We equally ask CAN to do all within its scope of authority to ensure that the will of the people as expressed through the ballots during last Saturday’s presidential and federal legislative elections count.

“Ideally, when people vote, the votes should be counted and allowed to reflect in the result the electoral umpire will announce. Anything short of that remains an aberration in any democratic context and contest.”

CAN noted further that despite the many assurances given by the electoral umpire about its preparedness for the election, INEC fell below the reasonable expectations of the masses.

The Christian body further asked the commission to provide an explanation to Nigerians on why the preventable lapses were not addressed.