Disregard election petitions, APC tells US govt
The United States chapter of the All Progressives Congress on Monday wrote the President of the United States, Joe Biden, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Kelvin McCarthy, to ignore a petition written by some aggrieved Nigerians allegedly discrediting the 2023 presidential election.
The request is coming three days after authorities in the US administration granted permission to some diasporans in the country to use its park on April 3 to protest the outcome of the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria.
The permit allows only a hundred protesters to converge at the iconic Lafayette Park in Washington D.C. for just four hours.
There was a clear warning on the permit that the participants must “comply with all of the conditions of this permit and with all reasonable directions of the United States Park Police.”
The planned demonstration is expected to be led by a group in diaspora under the aegis of Nigerian American Coalition for Justice and Democracy Inc., under the leadership of Franklin Ekechukwu.
Ekechukwu had earlier disclosed in a memo that the demonstration was their own way of protesting INEC refusal to “follow their guidelines and rule of law in accordance to democratic principles.”
But the Chairman of the United States chapter of the APC, Prof. Tai Balofin, stated that the sovereignty of Nigeria since independence had been working.
The statement read, “We are writing to you regarding a recent petition that has been submitted, calling for the discrediting of the Nigerian presidential election that was deemed free and fair by the Independent National Electoral Commission. As the leader of a country that upholds democratic values, we implore you to disregard the petition.
“The government has faced many challenges threatening the relationship between tribes coloured by religion and politics.
“The coming together of activists against the military intensified the democracy we have untainted since 1999. The great men and women who laid down their lives and resources to make this a reality see Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as an unrepentant front-runner via the NADECO days who fought to make this democracy a reality.”
Balofin said Tinubu became a reference point and a grandmaster of strategic transformation that nation leaders always ran to for ideas and turnarounds, calling him a master of political draft and chess with gaming mastery of political successes.
“It is imperative to respect the democratic process and the decisions made by the electoral body. It is not the place of any individual or group to call for the truncation of democracy or the establishment of an interim government. Such actions are not only unconstitutional but also undermine the peace and stability of Nigeria.
“They have been calling for actions that go against the laid-down processes for addressing disputes and grievances, which is a subversion of the constitution. Their actions and utterances are not only seditious but also pose a threat to the peace and stability of Nigeria. As such, we urge you to condemn such action and make it clear that the British government stands firmly in support of the democratic process in Nigeria.
“Conclusively, we are available to present more evidence to the US Congress. Thank you for your attention to this matter,” he added.