TUC calls for Nigerian elections to be re-run
TUC response to the Nigerian elections
Solidarity with Nigerian trade unionists fighting for democracy
The TUC has supported the Nigeria Labour Congress in condemning the conduct of the regional and Presidential elections in Nigeria this month, and calling for fresh elections under new electoral and security arrangements.
In a letter to the chair of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Maurice Iwu, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber says:
'Nigeria needs democracy, and democracy in Africa needs Nigeria to have free and fair elections. Our colleagues in the Nigerian Labour Congress have reported to us that the recent elections were neither, marred as they were by inefficiency, corruption and violence.
'Nigerian trade unionists have a long and proud record of standing up for democracy and we support them wholeheartedly in their latest campaign for good governance and transparency.'
The letter has been copied to the British Foreign Secretary, Rt Hon Margaret Beckett MP, the President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, and the President of the Senate, Ken Nnamani, who would need to assume leadership of the country for a three-month period if the elections were annulled.
The Nigeria Labour Congress' reaction to the regional elections is at http://www.nlcng.org/election2007.htm and their reaction to the Presidential elections follows:
24 April 2007
PRESS STATEMENT
FINDING SOLUTIONS TO THE EMERGING POLITICAL CRISES
The Nigeria Labour Congress finds it difficult to accept the outcome of the presidential elections and the emergence of Alhaji Yar'Adua. This is not because we have any personal disagreement with him, but the fact that he is a beneficiary of a fundamentally flawed electoral process which was programmed to fail.
The plan to subvert the will of the people, rig the elections and impose a politically disabled leadership on the country was so clear that the NLC convened an urgent meeting of its Central Working Committee on April 19, 2007 in what has turned out to be a vain attempt to steer the country away from an avoidable disaster.
The NLC's communiqué at the end of that meeting declared that 'Given the despicable conduct of the last elections, Congress has lost faith in the capacity of the Prof. Maurice Iwu-led INEC to conduct credible elections on April 21, 2007 and the proposed fresh state elections'.
It is tragic that the country has come to this sorry state at the cost of over 200 lives, hundreds of injured persons, massive destruction of property and the loss of billions of naira. Indeed, this highly compromised electoral process was in the words of President Olusegun Obasanjo 'a do-or-die' affair which had to be won by PDP by any means necessary and at whatever cost to the country.
Specifically, the National Assembly and Presidential elections, just like the state elections, were characterized by late voting and non-appearance of electoral officials in many parts of the country, severe shortage of ballot papers, declaration of results even in places where elections were not held, under-age voting, voter intimidation, snatching and stuffing of ballot boxes and a general subversion of the people's will.
Additionally, INEC indulged itself in self-inflicted logistical problems such as wanting to distribute election materials across our vast country only hours before polls were scheduled to open. Also, millions of ballot papers especially for the senatorial elections were unusable because logos of some political parties were omitted.
Generally, the INEC under a self-glorifying Prof. Maurice Iwu was an unmitigated disaster. The Presidency compounded the political crises by employing the armed forces, the police and other security agencies in its 'do-or-die' plans thereby compromising the integrity and moral standing of these institutions. Also to cover its tracks, the Presidency has embarked on a campaign of calumny against Senate President Ken Nnamani as part of the plans to intimidate the National Assembly and reduce its capacity to intervene in the crisis.
It is clear that Nigerians have been robbed of a unique and historical opportunity to freely choose their leaders. The NLC thinks that the Presidency is being half smart and myopic by dangling appeal tribunals before the victims of this blatant robbery carried out in the presence of domestic and international election observers.
We are particularly worried that compromises that legitimise the subversion of the people's will and mandate, weaken and compromise the growth of democracy in our country.
The NLC is convinced that the long-term interests of our nation will be better served by rejecting these elections. Congress, therefore, commits itself to working with broad-based interest groups to fashion a way out of what is now clearly a national political crisis.
The NLC commends the resilience of Nigerians and urges them to be eternally vigilant.
John E. Odah
General Secretary
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