Comments:
The National Patriots hereby notes that there were several International and African Observer Missions for the 2023 Elections. We recall that during the administration of Obasanjo, he banned Foreign Observers from monitoring the Elections because of this sort of controversy. The Ecowas and African Union Observer Missions have a higher recognition for Nigeria due to their understanding of the peculiarities, diversity, demographic challenges, cultural orientation of Nigerians and Africans. The Europeans’ understanding of this would be limited to a great extent and would affect their overall understanding of our electoral values, challenges and conduct. This is Africa, not Europe where everything works well and technology is more in use with more computer literate human capacity.
We are just working slowly on moving on and are therefore categorised as a developing nation not a developed Nation. It is therefore unfair to utilise the same standard to compare or gauge the way we conduct our Elections.
It is also unacceptable for an International organisation to condemn the electoral procedure or result of an election carried out in a sovereign country which is not a member of the EU and has no responsibility to the organisation. It is true that the EU is a trading partner and is buying 90% of the gas Nigeria is producing to the detriment of local needs. The EU is obviously displaying a special interest in who becomes Nigeria’s President for their own agenda not for the interest or benefit of Nigerians.
We hereby condemn the call for the disqualification of our President- Elect, Resignation of the INEC Chairman, and other conditions including the expression of Nigeria as a “failing Democracy”.
We advise the EU to understand that Nigeria has its own process for resolving Electoral matters which should be respected by all Countries and Organisations. We have Tribunals and Courts. The EU may wish to attend these hearings if they are so concerned and interested in fairness, equity & justice.
The EU should not attempt to interfere in Nigeria’s internal matter nor take a position which may be considered as possibly inciting public unrest. The National Patriots is hereby committed to defending the sovereignty of Nigeria through legal means and advocacy.
We are aware that some foreign Observers were invited and sponsored to monitor the Elections for mischievous reasons and hope the EU will not allow itself to be used by unpatriotic personalities who do not mean well for Nigeria.
If this election would be held every year, Asiwaju Tinubu will still emerge the winner because Nigerians voted massively for him and are overjoyed that he emerged the winner and President- Elect.
We believe the EU has more important matters before them with the Russian- Ukraine War and its impact in Europe, so they should focus on their Constituency and leave Africa, Nigeria to the AU, Ecowas & Commonwealth organisations.
We would not accept external forces set to disrupt the peace of this Nation because of their intention towards economic slavery after all we suffered from the slave trade.
Enough is enough.
Dr. Hameeda
The National Patriots.
