Daily Independent Online.
*
Thursday, August 12, 2004.
Ibori blames politicians over abuse of electoral process
By Tunke-Aye Bisina
Reporter,
Asaba
Delta
State Governor James Ibori has said that politicians and not a matter of the
system in place cause the problems associated with the conduct of credible
elections in the country.
Ibori,
who made the observation in a keynote address at a three-day workshop organised
by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Delta State, noted
that while urgent electoral reforms were necessary in the country, they would
end up irrelevant if politicians continued to interfere with the process.
The
governor, who was represented by the Chief of Staff at the Government House,
Chief Francis Agboro, said: “It seems that the various attempts at both
the parliamentary and presidential systems have not solved the problem
associated with the conduct of elections in the country.
“Are
these seeming failures not pointers to the fact that what matters might not be
the constitutional form, but what the politicians do with the rules.”
The
governor urged political parties to ensure that politicians with undemocratic,
uncompromising and intolerant attitudes were not provided shelter to practise
the politics of selfishness and bitterness.
“I
dare say that political tolerance and democratic temper are the hallmark of
liberal democracy…the politicians, who are at the centre of elections,
should demonstrate high level of tolerance and have the big heart for
democratic temper.
“Furthermore,
in a plural society where sentiments of ethnicity, language and religion can
easily be provoked, the electoral body must ensure that politicians run
issue-oriented electioneering campaigns. In order to avoid these pitfalls, the
formation of political parties must not be based on ethnicity and
religion,” he said.
Ibori
also urged politicians to stop seeing political office as an avenue for
enriching oneself so that losers could accept defeat without resorting to
violence.
He
also emphasized the need for voters education by parties and called on the law
enforcement agencies to be alive to their duties during elections. “I
therefore urge the key stakeholders in the electoral process, that is the
electoral body, political parties, politicians, security agencies, voters and
the press to perform their duties diligently and with uttermost sense of
patriotism and the fear of God,” he said.
