Worries in Nigeria
Watch tomorrow's news. Now that the Oscars are over, this story will probably make the headlines in the U.S. tomorrow.Vanguard, a Lagos newspaper, reported on worries that the Appeals Court decision, to be announced tomorrow, might provoke angry responses. I'm sure that many people are thinking about the fearful precedents in Kenya.
Nigeria: Security Beef-Up Nationwide
"THE authorities are beefing security across the country ahead of tomorrow's judgment on last year's presidential election.
"The move, according to a security source in Abuja, is to prevent hoodlums and/or their sponsors from causing trouble on the strength of the decision of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal...
"The tribunal, last Thursday, announced that it would deliver its judgment tomorrow on the consolidated petitions of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and General Muhammadu Buhari, presidential candidates of the Action Congress (AC) and the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) respectively against the emergence of President Umaru Yar'Adua in the April election."
Former vice president Atiku Abubakar, one of the complainants in the suit, released a statement in Washington, D.C. appealing for U.S. support in the court challenge.
Africa's Fraudulent Elections - A Non-Violent Alternative
"Nigeria will soon confront one of the most difficult challenges that any emerging Democracy must face, whether the rule of law as set by the courts will prevail. The Nigerian Supreme Court will soon decide if it will nullify last year's presidential elections on fraud charges. How the government reacts could well determine the future of the country. Nigeria is a sovereign nation, but the United States must urge the current leaders to abide by the Supreme Court's ruling. If not, the unfolding tragedy in Kenya and the violence in that neighboring country could well repeat itself..."
An Abuja newspaper, Leadership reported that the other compainant in the suit, Muhammadu Buhari, issued a statement urging the judges to make a truly independent decision. That was in response to President Yar'Adua's nomination of the chief judge in the case to a position on the Supreme Court, which was seen by some as an attempt to reward Justice James Ogebe in advance of a ruling favorable to the ruling party.
Don't Succumb to Pressure, Buhari Urges Judges
"Ahead of tomorrow's judgement in the consolidated petition against the election of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, All Nigeria Peoples Party the presidential candidate General Muhammadu Buhari has urged the presidentia not to succumb to any inducement or pressure that may be coming from the presidency..."
Buhari's spokesman said, " Almost everybody in this country acknowledges that the 2007 elections were flawed. Both international and domestic monitors and certain section of the so-called government have both agreed that the election was messed up. We are expecting that the court, being the last place where the common man will take his case, would do justice and pronounce the election annulled."
Labels: judiciary, Nigeria, politics, rule-of-law
posted by Ken Wedding @ 8:43 AM
2 Comments:
Here is an interesting article on Atiku...
http://www.damagecontrol101.com/
"Solid reputations take years to be won, but they can be lost virtually overnight. The political landscape is littered with the (figurative) bodies of those who have been implicated but later exonerated in scandal. The same is true in Africa as it is here in the States. And this is precisely what happened to former Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is seeking his nation's presidency (full disclosure: Atiku's Washington-based attorney is a client, and I have provided counsel on his issues. Two of my colleagues have met directly with the Vice President). Mr. Abubakar was implicated in the bribery scandal that led to the indictment of Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA), but on close examination of the evidence it turns out, well, there is no evidence that he was involved at all."
"damagecontrol101's comment is dated 17 March 2008, but it seems to have been written over a year ago.
"And this is precisely what happened to former Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is seeking his nation's presidency..."
I have posted a question about that on the Damage Control 101 web site.
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