Nigeria can’t lead Africa without credible elections – Jonathan

Posted by admin Elections 2011 Thursday, April 7th, 2011

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday said Nigeria could not maintain its leadership position in Africa without a free, fair and transparent election.

The President spoke during an audience with a delegation of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs at the State House, Abuja.

“Several countries in Africa have had successful elections, and if we don’t get it right, we can’t lead anybody or call anybody to order when they miss the mark,” Jonathan said.

He said the basis for any genuine democracy was credible elections. “Anybody who does not believe in the power of the ballot has no place in governance or leadership,” he said.

The President informed the NDI team that the belief in the importance of credible elections accounted for his administration’s appointment of credible people into the Independent National Electoral Commission as well as the total support it gave the electoral body to enable to conduct successful elections.

“Whether I am a candidate or not, I must conduct an election that would meet global minimum standards of transparency and fairness”, he assured the delegation.

The President appealed to the NDI not to hesitate to draw attention to lapses noticed before the election, instead of waiting to report such after the exercise.

He also thanked the NDI for its efforts at ensuring free and fair elections globally.

The NDI, at the event, commended Jonathan for “demonstrating remarkable leadership in the preparation and run-up to the forthcoming national elections.”

A member of the NDI delegation, former Canadian Prime Minister, Mr. Joe Clark, said, “There is no doubt that you have demonstrated remarkable leadership in dealing with the issues we have seen.”

-Punchwp_posts