Olusegun Obasanjo
By Saharareporters, New York
General Olusegun Obasanjo’s sinking international reputation as a
misfit in democracy circles took a deeper plunge today with members of
the Civil Society community in West Africa distancing themselves from
his “utterances, positions, recommendations and past records” while on
Elections Observation duty in several countries in the region.
In a letter to the President of ECOWAS, the members cited missions in
Togo, Senegal and the just-concluded one in Ghana in which Obasanjo had
been involved and the controversies they led to, and suggested the
development of minimum criteria for the selection of the Head of its
Elections Observation and Mediation Missions in the region.
“[Obasanjo] did not only unilaterally smuggle a repressive and
undemocratic anti-freedom of information recommendation into the
preliminary declaration, but he also went further to openly canvass
for the strict regulation of press freedom during the ECOWAS/AU press
briefing,” said the letter, which was signed by 14 members from
countries across West Africa, including Nigeria.
“Past leaders with unenviable records and undemocratic antecedence
cannot be honored with the task of supervising a democratic process,”
they said.
They also called on ECOWAS to consider providing concrete analytical
support and technical assistance to the Heads of Mission to properly
advise them on their activities, utterances, and interventions in
relation to the discharge of their duties as Heads of Mission during
elections observation missions.
“ECOWAS should endeavour to comprehensively brief the Heads of
Mission on the Code of Conduct for election observers, specifically the
need for observers to be strictly unbiased, impartial and neutral
towards national authorities, political parties, and candidates among
other stakeholders in the elections, or any activities connected to the
conduct thereof, while conducting their duties,” they recommended.
With reference to Obasanjo personally, they underlined that his
actions do not only generate negative dispositions in relation to
ECOWAS' expected neutrality during election exercises, but also portend
serious danger to the safety and security of the many observers that are
often deployed on behalf of the ECOWAS observation missions.
“We wish to recall that President Obasanjo conducted what was
widely-described as the most undemocratic elections in the history of
his country, Nigeria,” the letter said.
“The elections of 2003 and 2007 superintended by President Obasanjo
brought international opprobrium on the country. This is a fact that has
been registered in several quarters on the global scene. It is
therefore certain that the former President is not in the caliber of
Elder Statesmen desired for such delicate interventions as Elections
Observation assignments.”
Four days ago, the leadership of ECOWAS held an emergency meeting at
which they vowed never to invite Obasanjo ever again to head an election
monitoring mission. This followed the embarrassing revelation that he
was behind the recommendation of the ECOWAS observation team that the
media be curtailed in election observation, a position that contradicts
the normal position of ECOWAS and the United Nations.
Using a variety of under-handed methods, Obasanjo has manipulated
elections in Nigeria for many years, including imposing candidates on
the Peoples Democratic Party, and rigging them into office.
Text of the Letter
OPEN LETTER ON THE INVITATION OF GENERAL OBASANJO TO HEAD ECOWAS ELECTIONS OBSERVER MISSIONS
We members of the Civil Society community in West Africa, while
extending our sincere compliments to the ECOWAS President, wish to
register our deep concern over recent developments with respect to the
appointment of former Heads of State and Government to head ECOWAS
Elections Observation Missions across West Africa.
We wish to express our deep concerned with the utterances,
positions, recommendations and past records of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo,
former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria while on Elections
Observation duty in several countries across the West African region. In
specific terms, past missions involving the former Head of State ended
with controversial interventions as follows:
1. The intervention of President Obasanjo during the Togolese
transition in 2005 was considered undemocratic by Observers and Togolese
Citizens. Falling-out from this, incidents of attacks on some ECOWAS
observers during the last elections in Togo were recorded;
2. Former President Obasanjo's Mission to Senegal under the
ECOWAS generated international and local criticisms where, as Head of
Mission for the ECOWAS Observation Team, he appealed for an
unconstitutional and undemocratic tenure elongation of 2 years for the
former President Abdoulaye Wade; and,
3. Lastly and most recent is President Obasanjo's appointment as
ECOWAS and AU Head of Mission to the just concluded Ghanaian General
Elections. The Head of Mission did not only unilaterally smuggle a
repressive and undemocratic anti-freedom of information recommendation
into the preliminary declaration, but he also went further to openly
canvass for the strict regulation of press freedom during the ECOWAS/AU
press briefing.
We therefore note that such actions do not only generate negative
dispositions in relation to ECOWAS' expected neutrality during election
exercises in Member States, but they also portend serious danger to the
safety and security of the teeming observers often deployed on behalf
of the ECOWAS Observation Missions.
We wish to recall that President Obasanjo conducted what was
widely described as the most undemocratic elections in the history of
his country, Nigeria. The elections of 2003 and 2007 superintended by
President Obasanjo brought international opprobrium on the country. This
is a fact that has been registered in several quarters on the global
scene. It is therefore certain that the former President is not in the
caliber of Elder Statesmen desired for such delicate interventions as
Elections Observation assignments.
In the light of the above, and to ensure the integrity, neutrality
and professionalism of elections observation missions conducted by the
regional organization, we hereby forward the following recommendations
related to the appointment and deployment of Heads of ECOWAS Elections
Observation missions:
1. ECOWAS should develop minimum criteria for the selection of
Head of its Elections Observation and Mediation Missions in the region.
Past leaders with unenviable records and undemocratic antecedence cannot
be honored with the task of supervising a democratic process.
2. ECOWAS should consider providing concrete analytical support
and technical assistance to the Heads of Mission to properly advise them
on their activities, utterances, and interventions in relation to the
discharge of their duties as Heads of Mission during ECOWAS Elections
Observation Missions.
3. ECOWAS should endeavour to comprehensively brief the Heads of
Mission on the Code of Conduct for election observers, specifically the
need for observers to be strictly unbiased, impartial and neutral
towards national authorities, political parties, and candidates among
other stakeholders in the elections, or any activities connected to the
conduct thereof, while conducting their duties.
While we anticipate your understanding and necessary action in
relation to our observations and recommendations, kindly accept the
assurances of our highest esteem.
Sincerely yours,
Dr. Jibrin Ibrahim. West African Civil Society Forum
Alioune Tine, RADDHO-Senegal
'Lanre Suraju CSNAC-Nigeria
Prof. Oumar Ndongo, SYTO-Senegal
Idayat Hassan, CDD-Nigeria
Wodjo Traore Fini, COSOPCI-Cote d’Ivoire
Madi Jobarteh, TANGO-The Gambia
Ngolo Katta, CCYA-Sierra Leone
Constant Gnakadja, WANEP-Benin
Dr. Emmanuel Akwetey, IDEG-Ghana
Guy Ahianyo Kokou, CALYPSO, Togo
Gadiry Abdoul Diallo, OGDH-Guinea
Mamadou Queta, Guinea Bissao
Malcolm Joseph, CEMESP-Liberia
