Vice Presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. Peter Obi, Wednesday, called on the European Union to insist on a level playing field for all candidates and parties during elections in Nigeria because “there is a need to get the country back to its feet and make it better for our children.’’
He said this when he met with delegations from European Union, EU and World Economic Forum, WEF, in Abuja to deliberate on the imperative of free and fair elections in 2019 and how best to grow the nation’s economy through collaboration.
Obi, who represented the presidential candidate of the party and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, at the two separate meetings, told the EU delegation that efforts should be made to stop the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, from intimidating candidates of opposition political parties who, he said, now lived in fear of harassment and intimidation.
The vice presidential candidate advised that campaigns be based on issues, so the electorate and the international community could come to grasp with the problems of the country as well as the solutions being proffered by each of the political parties as well as their candidates.
Obi also said there was need for organisations, such as the EU, to strengthen and support the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to enable it deliver on credible elections.
The former Anambra State governor said judging from what happened during governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states, the electoral umpire had a lot to do to stand a chance of living up to the people’s expectations.
On the issue of vote buying, Obi described the incidence as a dangerous phenomenon that must be stopped at all cost.
He said: “I contested and won elections when I was in a smaller party. Where would I have gotten the money to buy votes if that was the case then and how would I have gotten back the money especially when I am going to serve the people?”
On whether there was need for a fresh EU election observer group, following the impending expiration of the tenure of the present group, Obi said Nigeria deserved a replacement, based on the role EU would play in ensuring free and fair elections in Nigeria in 2019
In his remarks, Ketil Karlsen, head of the EU delegation, said the election observer group had been consulting with stakeholders in Nigeria to ascertain whether or not it would be necessary for the union to send a new observer mission.
He said the EU mission had been operating in Nigeria since 1999, adding that the union had invested over 100 million Euros in Nigeria’s election process since then.
Meanwhile at a separate meeting with officials of WEF, Obi emphasized the need for closer working relationship with African countries, especially Nigeria, because most governments on the continent do not want to work with the forum for fear of being criticised.
He said many governments in Africa implement activities that were “transactional instead of transformational’’ and, therefore, needed help to shape their policies.
“A lot of work needs to be done in Africa because things are tough,” he said, adding that presidential and vice presidential candidates of the PDP “have a clear picture of what the economic priorities are what the international community feels about the country.
“Nigeria needs to do something immediately for its economy to put back on track and something has to done immediately,” Obi said.
Leader of the WEF delegation, Nontle Kabanyane, pledged the readiness of the forum to strengthen relationships and implement more activities in Nigeria through a collaboration that would lead to national transformation.
