The Nigeria Consultative Front (NCFront) has commended threats by the United Kingdom (UK) to impose sanctions on any politician found to have influenced rigging or violence in the forthcoming Edo and Ondo states governorship elections.
The conveners of the front, Yunusa Tanko and Peter Ameh, gave the commendation while speaking with newsmen at a “National Dialogue on the Future of Democracy in Nigeria” on Tuesday in Abuja.
Tanko said that such action would go a long way in strengthening the Nigeria’s electoral process and compel most political actors to play by the rules.
He, however, said Nigeria needed something more concrete than visa sanctions by the U.S. and UK.
“We need to go back to the drawing board and look into the Justice Uwais report, INEC also need to be unbundled because as it stands, it is overwhelmed by infractions in our electoral processes,” Tanko said.
He said that for Nigeria’s elections to be credible and fair, there was need for implementation of the Justice Mohammed Uwais Report on Electoral Reforms.
He said one of the recommendations was the creation of special court to try electoral offenders and manipulators.
He said that a process where some persons imposed candidates on the electorate against their wish owing to their deep pockets or influence would continue to undermine Nigeria’s democracy, “it must be addressed’’.
It will be recalled that the UK recently threatened to take actions against individuals who mastermind violence during the forthcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states.
The topic of the dialogue held simultaneously via zoom and physically was: “Crisis of Internal Party Democracy in Nigeria: What effects, What Panacea?”.
