Daniel Idonor
25 April 2007
Abuja — ALLEGED irregularities in the just concluded general elections in the country will not invalidate the results, President Olusegun Obasanjo has declared.
Also, the United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki-moon and the United States of America (USA) have called on aggrieved parties and candidates to seek redress in election tribunals.
Speaking in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) yesterday, Obasanjo urged the international community to show more understanding of the Nigeria situation.
"I don't deny that there were imperfections in the elections, but the magnitude does not make the results null and void", he stated.
He stressed that no election the world over is perfect, pointing out that Nigeria's political system has been improving since he first voted in its pre-independence poll in 1959.
"Following the Supreme Court judgement on Monday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was faced with the huge challenge of producing 65 million voters' cards within 48 hours, shipping the cards to Nigeria and distributing to all corners of the country on time for the elections," the president posited.
The President called on election observers not to only criticise but to help the country, saying, "we should not be measured by European standards. Nigeria has come a long way from when I first voted. We are better than 20 years ago", he added.
On his legacies, he said, "Nigerians now have greater hope for a greater future. Eight years ago, many Nigerians were talking of break-up. We have laid a solid foundation for economic growth. Nigeria now has a future".
Meanwhile, the U.S. and the UN have appealed to all parties in Nigeria's presidential election to resolve their grievances through legal and peaceful processes.
The North America correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the appeals were made in separate daily news briefings in Washington and New York on Monday.
In her briefing, White House Deputy Spokesperson, Dana Perino told reporters that the U.S. was "concerned and troubled about reports of irregularities" in the Nigerian elections.
"But, we look forward to hearing from the election observers. The U.S. urges all parties to resolve their concerns through peaceful means.
"Obviously, there is a lot of tension there and we hope that people can remain calm and if they are going to protest, they should do so peacefully," she said.
Asked whether President George Bush would speak with President Olusegun Obasanjo on the elections, Perino said: "I think what we need first is to hear from the election observers before we can make any other moves."
On his part, Mr Ban Ki-moon called on those aggrieved by the outcome of the general elections to seek legal and constitutional redress.
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