The United States of America (USA) is at it again. Media reports of September 1, 2014, had it that the American ambassador to Nigeria, James F. Entwistle, apparently speaking the mind of his superiors in Washington DC as it usually is in diplomatic circles, warned that Nigeria risked being enmeshed in violence if the Federal government fails to ensure that the 2015 polls are free, fair and credible. He made the statement during a visit to the National Headquarters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja. The US ambassador is reported to be engaging political parties and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as well as Nigerians, to ensure a credible election in 2015. He also stated that Washington would not back any candidate in the February 14, 2015, presidential election, stressing that America’s only interest was to ensure that elections in Nigeria and other countries were credible, and he added; “Democracy is much more than elections, but without elections there is no democracy because election is the cornerstone.” We agree with Mr. Entwistle that election is the cornerstone for democracy, but the move to engage stakeholders of the Nigerian democracy coming from an agent of a country that had predicted the collapse of Nigeria as a country should be taken with circumspection and seen as being far from altruistic. Why is the ambassador getting involved in the Nigerian political process? Neither INEC and the Federal Government nor the political parties and Nigerians need a lecture or warning from America to know the importance of a credible election, particularly, as it relates to the 2015; given the fragile state of the nation, presently. Besides, INEC has proven its capacity to conduct credible elections as witnessed in the recent elections in Ekiti and Osun States. What needs to be done now is to put structures in place, learn from the mistakes of the past and for Nigerians – irrespective of the political divide – to keep the watch over the elections; not propagating the alarmist bell of violence or an attempt to heat up the polity, as the America ambassador’s statement seems to portend. We are most worried about America’s obvious double standard in dealing with developing countries that have potentials for greatness. It is an open secret that the US has fomented crises in some developing countries through its fifth column – the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) – either by sponsoring coups or financing opposition elements against seating governments or disrupting political processes, killing emerging great civilizations there-from, We acknowledge that the politics of this Fourth Republic is troubled and the 2015 presidential election could make or break the country, but we equally recognise the resilient Nigerian spirit that will always see us through our trying times, therefore, there is no need for foreign interests to show more concern for us than ourselves. But for some of the selfish and greedy politicians, it is in our collective-best interest, as a nation, to conduct free, fair and credible elections in 2015; the Federal Government knows, the political parties are aware, INEC is abreast of that responsibility, so too are the generality of Nigerians. Of what import then is Mr. Entwistle’s warning? To engineer a crises incase the opposition fails to win the presidential election and confirm their prediction of a disastrous end to the Nigeria project? We do not see any useful purpose for his engagement, or those of other foreign agents, in the Nigerian political process leading to the elections of 2015. If any, what Nigeria needs from the international community at the moment is nothing more than goodwill for a credible election in 2015. The rest is our burden to bear.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 11:52:54 +0000
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