Nigeria announced on Tuesday that state and presidential polls ushering in a new government to succeed President Olusegun Obasanjo will be held in April next year.
The former army general, who came to power in May 1999 to end more than 15 years of military rule in Africa’s most populous country, has vowed to organise credible, free and fair elections when his two terms expire in May 2007.
”After prolonged consultations with various stakeholders in the electoral process, including the leadership of the registered political parties and civil society organisations, the commission has approved that the 2007 general elections will be held on April 14 and April 21 2007,” chairperson of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Maurice Iwu said at an election forum.
Governorship and state assembly elections are slated for April 14, while the presidential and national assembly vote will take place on April 21.
Obasanjo is due to step down in May 2007 after two four-year terms.
”When the time comes on May 29 2007 that I will hand over the baton, I want Nigerians and friends of Nigeria to have the confidence that the race will neither be slowed down nor be lost,” Obasanjo said during the forum.
And he called for support from ”friends and partners” in Nigeria’s quest to ensure an enduring democracy and warned against any interference in the process.
”Let me use this opportunity to urge our development partners and international friends not to indulge in raising unnecessary dust about our democracy,” he said.
”We know that our democracy is on course. What we want are friends and partners that will support and encourage us along the line of democratic practice and consolidation and not those that celebrate our few mistakes, exaggerate our challenges and keep silent on our successes,” he said.
”We do not expect partners and friends to fund or team up with dubious and mischievous characters under whatever guise just to earn a pay or justify an already set agenda. We would not accept such interference under any guise,” he said.
He added that, on returning to run his chicken farm after his presidency, he would feel that ”I have had the opportunity to serve and I have done my best”.
He also slammed as ”evil-minded” or ”mischief makers” critics who have accused him of attempting to scuttle the 2007 handover date by imposing an interim national government in the country.
Since May 16 when the Nigerian Parliament defeated a bid by Obasanjo’s supporters to change the Constitution to allow him have a third term in office his critics have alleged another plot to derail the transition programme.
”In Nigeria today those talking about interim national government are either ignorant of the Constitution, they are evil-minded or are mischief makers because there is no room anywhere for such a contraption except during a state of war against another country,” he added.
Previous polls in the country, especially in 1999 and 2003, were marred with complaints of rigging and irregularities by both local and international observers. — AFP
