An elder statesman and former Federal Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clark has criticised politicians who are quick to tell their opponents who lost elections to go to court…..CONTINUE READING...CONTINUE READING
He said such language and the tone in which it is said, is very infuriating and speaks ill of the kind of legal system operational in Nigeria.
According to Clark who turns 96 on May 26th, 2023, asking an opponent who failed in an election to go to court is also pre-empting the court and buttressing the fact that one might not get justice at the end of the day.
Clarks gave his opinion, while playing host to members of Nigeria for Peace Project, jointly convened by the Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ) and Citizens for Development Education, both civil society organisations in Abuja.
While crowning Clark as their Peace Ambassador, he reminded Nigerians that no region or section of the country can produce a President independently.
Reflecting on the need for peace to foster economic development, he stressed that Nigerians cannot afford to compromise peace in the country only to run to neigbouring countries to seek refuge.
He also criticised the Nigerian Governors Forum alleging that they constitute most of the problems Nigeria is currently facing. In his words, most of the governors are corrupt and are the ones causing crisis in Nigeria.
“When you hear people who won election telling their opponent who lost to go to court, its infuriating, it goes to show you have no confidence in the court to deliver justice.
“We have no other country. Anybody who tries to break away from Nigeria where will they go to. It is also wrong for anybody to say if you want to go , go.
“Elections have been held in the past and there were problems like several elections but we still survived. 2023 election is not going to be the last election, it’s not the election that will break up Nigeria. Let the people obey the laws of their countries, obey the Constitution,” he told the delegation at his residence in Abuja.
Lending his voice to Nigeria’s unity and sane electoral process, he said, “Nigeria belongs to all of us. North alone cannot rule Nigeria, South alone cannot rule Nigeria.
“North alone cannot produce a President, South alone cannot produce a President, we need each other, a combination of each other”.
Criticising the governors’ forum, he said, “What are we fighting for? Most of the problems we are facing in Nigeria today is caused by the governor’s forum.
“They want to take over this country. They want to be leaders. They want to pocket the president, everybody in this country. Today, most of them have been found corrupt, and some of them are in the Senate. Now they want to control the Senate”.
A co-convener of Nigeria for Peace Project, Ibrahim Wayya and Comrade Mulade Sheriff, who also paid a visit to the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, stressed the need for Nigerians to live in peace irrespective of their diversity.
Wayya particularly condemned the incisive statements and controversies associated with the recent general elections, where some people were calling for interim national government or trying to frustrate the inuaguration activities of the President-elect…..CONTINUE READING
