Nigerians In UK Vow To Mobilise For Fair Play In 2015 Elections

channelstv.com

The momentum for Nigeria’s 2015 general elections is building up even outside the country, as Nigerians in the diaspora are demanding for fair play and issue based politics.

In the UK, various groups over the weekend met to dialogue and lend their voices to the ongoing political situation in Nigeria, with a particular focus on security and the elections.

A growing consensus is that events leading up to the polls must be grounded in facts and relevant issues not based on mere populist rhetoric.

At the meeting, the issues on the table ranged from concerns over insecurity, and infrastructural deficits to the upcoming 2015 general elections and the quality of national leadership needed to steer the country forward.

A Nigerian government representatives, Oronto Douglas, presented progress reports to boost the morale of the diaspora and allay gloomy forecasts.

Mr Douglas is a Special Adviser to the President on Research and Documentation.

He reeled out most achievements of the present administration, but insecurity has made any success story coming out of Nigeria a hard sell. There is a consensus that the fight against terrorism must cross party lines.

The same goes for the 2015 general elections. For many at the meeting, the focus should be on issues not mudslinging.

They were all of the opinion that Nigeria, at the moment, needed institutions that would stand the test of different administrations.

An idea that has been put forward by the Association of Nigerian Communities in the UK, headed by Martins Adebakare, towards participation in the 2015 elections is to be incorporated into observation and monitoring teams.

In a separate event in London, the Nigerian High Commissioner in the UK, Ambassador Sariki Tafida, cautioned against self seeking interest in politics.

He believes the focus at this time should be on the greater good of Nigerians.

The 2015 elections is dominating the international space as much as it has taken centre stage in Nigeria. a proliferation of meetings, dialogue, rallies and more meetings across board, championed by different actors.