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The Nigerian State of Many Nations

We, Concerned Nigerians for Democracy, Germany, deem it imperative and consider it a matter of utmost urgency to warn the Nigerian military government against ignoring the popular demand of the Nigerian people which was, and still is, the introduction of a genuine democracy and a restructuring of the Nigerian state.

We unequivocally reject the just concluded elections as undemocratic and a ploy to continue military rule under another guise. The so-called Transition to Civil Rule Programme was a deliberately hurried process to prevent the emergence of popular grassroots democratic political organisations and to give an undue advantage to politicians and organisations involved in the Abacha self-succession scheme and front men of the present ruling military clique. Political parties were not given the chance to emerge on the basis of commonality of ideological outlook. Only organisations with access to state coffers could muster enough resources to fulfil the conditions for registration as political parties under the guidelines issued by the General Abdulsalami Abubakar regime hence only 3 out of 25 organisations who applied were registered. This is a systematic disenfranchisement of the Nigerian people.

We reject the 29 February election as a farce. It is an established fact, attested to by local and international observers, that the election was marred by wide spread irregularities and its results were doctored. In the view of this, the sanctity of the electoral process has been fatally injured and a government that such an election produces can therefore not be legitimate.

We note with grave concern the continued violation of human rights in Nigeria. We condemn the recent killings in Lagos of unarmed activists of the Oodua People’s Congress, a cultural group of the Yorubas, by the police and the continued military occupation of the Niger Delta and its attendant violation of the dignity and rights of its inhabitants.

A country supposedly in the process of democratising and which allows its security forces to perpetrate these crimes cannot be taken seriously.

We call on the international community not to abandon the Nigerian people at this most critical phase of the struggle for democracy and self-determination and to continue its support for Nigerian democratic and human rights organisations.

Our Message to Olusegun Obasanjo

Because your ‘victory’ is not a democratic mandate we do not recognise your presidency.

After the death of Sanni Abacha, all democratic organisations including the Wole Soyinka-led United Democratic Front of Nigeria (UDNF) and the Concerned Nigerians for Democracy, Germany, called for the establishment of a non-partisan Interim National Government that should organise a real democratic electoral programme and convene a Sovereign National Conference to re-examine the terms and scope of the Nigerian union.

We call on you to accede NOW to this demand.

Signed:

Stephen Obidike (president), Peter Gumedia, Ohia Donny, Benson Kihodu, Benjamin Ademi, Babatunde Adebayo (ex-military officer), Tunde Emmanuel Roberts, Okudili Ogboo and Christian Okwua

(Members of the Concerned Nigerians for Democracy e.V., Wertheim/Main)