Nigeria: Opposition Parties Withdraw Threat To Boycott Next Election

There have been violent protests in Nigeria since the flawed state assembly and governorship elections of last Saturday April 14, with over 65 people killed, including 9 Nigerian police officers and 4 soldiers.

The opposition parties, the Human Rights Watch, Nigerian lecturers, civil liberties groups, and majority of Nigerian voters have already denounced and rejected the fraudulent elections of last Saturday in Nigeria.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) attempted to disqualify Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Action Congress (AC), but the Supreme Court four days ago ruled that INEC has no right to disqualify him. How the name of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar would be added to the 61 million ballots before the Presidential election on Saturday April 21 should be quite interesting. And Nigerians hope there would be no repetition of the electoral blunders and fraudulent balloting that were the hallmarks of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) last Saturday.

Democratic elections govern public safety. But where elections fail to govern public safety and the rule of Law, then the elections have failed woefully. Therefore, INEC must not fail again, lest there would be an escalation of violent protests, with grave consequences for the unity and stability of Nigeria.