The Centre for Reform and Public Advocacy has charged the General Abdulsalami Abubakar-led National Peace Committee not to rest but continue with its advocacy, especially now that aggrieved contestants were at the tribunals.
Head of the Centre, Ifeanyi Okechukwu, in a statement yesterday, regretted that while the committee was active before the elections, it had remained largely inactive since the outcome of the polls.
“Regrettably, what is missing is a post-election formal statement of the National Peace Committee on the outcome of the election.
“In actual fact, only the chairman had made personal statements which were ascribed to the National Peace Committee. The first of such statements by the chairman was after he voted, and the second statement was after the declaration of the result.
“It is, thus, surprising that there is yet to be any informed formal statement of the group on the election. It is a historic fact that elections hardly end with the declaration by the electoral body after voting.
“This is because almost always, the last and final announcement is from the judiciary,” he stated.
He said despite the avalanche of election petitions and likely far-reaching outcomes that could follow the decisions, the National Peace Committee had been quiet.
“It is our considered view that the National Peace Committee has failed in a very crucial area concerning the elections. The failure to issue a statement on the role of the judiciary and what Nigeria expects from the judiciary is an inglorious statement on the process of election in Nigeria.
“Accordingly, we call on the National Peace Committee to quickly address this gap in its engagements. It must be stressed that every Nigerian is looking up to the judiciary.
“What it means is that the National Peace Committee must be alert to its responsibilities. In other words, we are calling on the group to effectively focus its bright lights on the Judiciary because its actions or inactions can undermine the atmosphere of peace and stability that has been engendered by political actors keeping to the terms of the peace accord they signed before the elections,” the centre stated.