Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila has assured that the country would resist anyone seeking to take advantage of current tension arising from the controversial outcomes of the Saturday’s presidential elections held nationwide.
He said that political actors and all Nigerians must desist from making utterances or actions capable of derailing democracy in Nigeria, saying that the country had legal avenues and mechanisms to resolve disputes.
Gbajabiamila’s remarks were contained in his address of welcome to his colleagues at the resumption of plenary session after the legislative break for the presidential and national assembly elections.
The remarks, however, came barely 24 hours after former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Head of State and Chairman of National Peace Committee, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, faulted the process of collation of election results, asking the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Mamoud Yakubu, to be cautious.
Gbajabiamila said: “Our country has just been through a hotly contested general election. As we gather here this morning, the election results are still being collated and announced.
“We expect shortly to be informed who will be the next president of our republic and the people who will represent Nigerians in the 10th assembly.
“Elections in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-party democracy too often devolve into faultlines, generating abundant conflict and controversy.
“The test of an advanced democracy is the ability to manage grievances and settle disagreements without causing fatal damage to the body polity.
“The constitution of our republic and the Electoral Act that governs elections in Nigeria both define a framework of post-election dispute resolution and adjudication.
“This framework exists to protect the integrity of our elections. It ensures that when elections fail to meet expectations, contested issues of facts and law can be resolved through a due process within a legal framework befitting a constitutional democracy.
“It is not in the interests of our country, now or ever, to advocate for or embrace extralegal interventions to resolve electoral disputes and address grievances.
“We must avoid actions or utterances that set the stage for interventions that could be fatal to our democracy and the gains we have made over the last two decades.
“This is the time, despite whatever disappointments we may each feel, to reject considerations of partisan and other interests to come together and make sure first that our country survives and our imperfect democracy continues its march towards progress and a more perfect union.
“This is the time for political, social, religious and economic leaders across the nation to work steadfastly together towards the ends of law and due process.
“I am confident we will rise above the worst expectations others may have of us in this defining this moment.
“We will resist malign actors seeking to exploit this moment of tension for their own ends. We will defeat the cynicism of those waiting to see their worst predictions for our country become real.
“Nigeria will be at peace because we will work through the law and due process to resolve differences, settle disputes and ensure the peaceful transition of power.”
Gbajabiamila also said that the House was winding down even though he assured that the legislative work will continue until the end of the 9th House.
Meanwhile, the House was almost empty due to the absence of many lawmakers who were yet to return.
The Speaker adjourned plenary to March 1.
