…Says anti democratic forces plotting to derail democracy
A Diaspora group based in the United States of America,
National Africa Diaspora Alliance has sent a strong letter to President Biden of the United States on the activities of some forces plotting to derail Nigeria’s democracy.
In a letter to the President,the group likened their activity to same experience when the United States President contested against former President Donald Trump in year 2020.
According to the group in the letter signed by Chairman Drs. Senu Oke and Dotun Aliu,President,the group accused the opposition led by labour Party Presidential candidate,Peter Obi of planning what they regard as Trump treatment against president elect,Nola Tinubu.
They also accused, novelist Ngozi Chimamanda of writing frivolous letter an election which was conducted and confirm to all rules.
See Full letter below:
19/2023
The POTUS
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear President Biden.
Nigeria is currently in a situation similar to the election between you and Donald
Trump. As you may recall, there was a national election in the United States, the
results of which were announced, and you were declared the legitimate winner.
However, Trump rejected the verdict, claiming that there were irregularities, rigging,
and malpractice in the election with no evidence to back up his claims.
He openly declared that he had won the election and that it had been stolen from
him. His ardent supporters began acting out his script, claiming that the election
had been rigged. He urged his followers to reclaim the mandate that had been
taken from them. His supporters flocked to Capitol Hill, confident that they would
reclaim the stolen mandate without having to wait for the court’s decision.
Trump filed more than 30 frivolous and unfounded court cases in an attempt to
overturn the election, but he ultimately lost all of them. Lawyers undoubtedly aided
him in spreading his message of self-denial. Because of these false narratives,
according to an NBC News poll in 2022, the majority of Republican supporters still
believe the election was rigged in your favor, despite the lack of evidence to
support this state of denial.
The same situation is currently unfolding in Nigeria. On February 25, 2023, the
electoral body held a presidential election, and a clear winner was declared after
substantially meeting the requirements under Nigerian electoral law.
Not long after the election, the second-place finisher—and disregarding the firstplace finisher—claimed he had won and that the results were rigged. He informed
his supporters that the people’s mandate had been stolen and pleaded with them
to reclaim it. This should sound familiar, Mr. President
They established the “Obidents Movement,” which actively and precisely followed
a script dubbed “Trump method” in line with the strategy employed by the Donald
Trump’s most ardent supporters. One of these is using all available means to
undermine and cast doubt on the election and the president-elect on a national
and international scale.
Their presidential candidate filed a court petition to challenge the election process
rather than the outcome. If the mandate was truly stolen, why not challenge the
outcome and present evidence of votes stolen from the party?. However, prior to
any court proceedings, they began a protest on the streets and social media,
proclaiming victory and demanding the return of their stolen mandate without a
single shred of evidence to back up this heinous claim.
Those who disagree with them are frequently threatened and verbally abused.
There is ongoing intimidation and threat directed at the nation’s supreme court
justices in an attempt to sway them to see things their way. This should also sound
familiar Mr. President. Mr. Datti Baba-Ahmed, the presidential running mate of the
opposition party, publicly threatened the current sitting president and the chief
judge, claiming that if the president-elect is sworn in, there will be no Nigeria. A
clearly treasonous point of view that flagrantly violates the constitution of Nigeria.
All of this should sound familiar to you, Mr. President.
No election, regardless of where it is held, is perfect. There are bound to be flaws
within human limitations, but this should not translate into total condemnation of
the election results, especially if such flaws are insignificant enough to overturn the
election’s outcome.
According to BBC News, during the recent US midterm elections, several false and
unsubstantiated rumors circulated online, implying that votes in certain states were
rigged. Specifically, the Arizona voting machine problems, which slowed the voting
and counting processes. This glitch, however, prompted immediate propaganda of
false claims that the votes were once again rigged, despite the lack of evidence to
support this claim.
The same scenario is playing out in Nigeria, where there were glitches in the
transmission of voting results by voting machines. The glitches fueled false claims
that the election was rigged, despite the lack of evidence to back up this claim.
They continue to seek proof of vote-rigging conspiracy theories and intentionally
hold the false and unshakeable belief, despite the lack of evidence, that ballot
machines were compromised due to a failure to transmit results to the internet.
This step in the election process is optional, and transmission is at the discretion of
the election officials, as defined by Nigerian electoral law.
More horrifying was the call by some unscrupulous elements for military
intervention to establish an interim government, which would not only sever
Nigeria’s current democratic system, but would also plunge the country into
dictatorship, anarchy, and chaos, and, by extension, the instability of the African
continent.
As if that wasn’t enough, an international propaganda campaign to delegitimize the
election was launched. Many open letters were written, many of which were
shrouded in lies and maligned the country. A recent example is an open letter sent
to you by one Chimamanda Adichie, which was full of deception, manipulation, and
mischief. An action motivated by ethnic inclinations. One wonders why she is
deafeningly silent on the ethnic takeover of elections in her southeast region,
where her preferred candidate won with 98% of the vote as if no other political
party existed in that region.
To be deemed elected as President of Nigeria, a candidate must receive the most
lawful votes as well as 25% of the votes cast in at least 24 of Nigeria’s 37 states,
according to Nigerian electoral law. Elections were held, and the results were
made public in accordance with the law. After receiving the highest legal votes, the
president-elect also received 25% or more of the votes cast in 29 of the 37 states,
indicating that he was well-accepted across the country, as intended by electoral
law.
In contrast, the results showed the acceptance of the opposition party’s
presidential candidate was limited to a segment of the country based on religion
and ethnic inclination, with the opposition party receiving 25% of votes cast, falling
far short of the minimum of 24 states required by law.
As a sovereign nation, Nigeria has a strong internal problem-solving mechanism.
The country will emerge unscathed from this period, but it is critical to clear the air
so that these individuals do not spread false narratives about Nigeria on a global scale. This is extremely dishonourable but manageable.
Mr. President, the winner of Nigeria’s last presidential election is currently going
through the same ordeal the Trump supporters put you through in the last election.
Therefore, on behalf of law-abiding, well-intentioned Nigerian citizens, we implore
you to disregard such anti-democratic crusaders who will stop at nothing to usurp
power by force, just as your opponent did in the last US presidential election.
As the democratic process unfolds in Nigeria, the beating heart of the African
continent, we urge you, Mr. President, to remain unwavering in your support for
this process.
Without a doubt, Nigeria is crucial to US interests in Africa, and the continent needs
a strong and powerful relationship between the two countries in order to maintain
stability. One of the president-elect’s top priorities will be to form a strong and
forward-thinking partnership with your government.
There is no doubt that a new Nigeria will emerge as the incoming presidentelect prepares to take office on May 29, 2023.
Long live United State of America and long live Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Sincerely.
Dr Oluseyi Senu-Oke Chairman NADA
Dr Dotun Aliu President NADA
National Africa Diaspora Alliance- USA
Cc:
Secretary Antony J. Blinken US Department of state
Senator Chris Coons Chairman US Senate Foreign Relations on African Affairs , Congressional Black Caucus
