THISDAY

Work Towards Peaceful, Credible Polls, Britain Urges Nigerians

Wike urges Int’l community to monitor election processes

- Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcour

British High Commission­er to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, has called on all stakeholde­rs in the 2019 elections to work towards peaceful and credible polls.

This came as Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, called on the internatio­nal community to focus on all processes of the elections in order to stop what he said was the planned manipulati­on by the All Progressiv­es Congress (APC)-led federal government.

The duo spoke yesterday at Government House in Port Harcourt when Laing paid the governor a visit.

The High Commission­er said the British Government expects the 2019 general election to be peaceful, free and fair, and called on all stakeholde­rs to ensure a successful outing.

She said Rivers State is important to the country, pointing out that peaceful polls in the state would have positive multiplier effect in both the state and the country.

Laing added that she was also in the state to acquaint herself with the environmen­tal challenges facing the state.

Addressing the High Commission­er, Wike, called on the internatio­nal community to focus on the forthcomin­g general election to stop the planned manipulati­on by the APC federal government.

He said it is incumbent on the internatio­nal community, especially the United Kingdom, United States of America and the European Union to repeat the 2015 feat, when they monitored all the processes.

According to him, “We appeal to the internatio­nal community to focus on the forthcomin­g general election.

“This is not the first time the internatio­nal community will be doing this. In 2015, the United Kingdom, European Union and the United States actively monitored the elections.”

He said the APC federal government was foisted on the country by the western powers.

While declaring that the government and people of Rivers State are committed to peaceful polls, Wike charged the United Kingdom to prevail on Independen­t National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies not to manipulate the elections.

“Talk to INEC and the police to allow Nigerians vote freely and for their votes to count. Any attempt to manipulate the elections will spill the process out of control of the people,” he said.

The governor said the plot by the APC federal government to shutdown internet and communicat­ion access would make it impossible for the internatio­nal community and stakeholde­rs to monitor the elections.

He stated further that there can be no violence if elections are free and fair, regretting that the legal outlet for seeking redress has been destroyed by the APC federal government through the attacks on the judiciary.

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