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

OBJ is not a man I cherish. Too bad, that man doesn't send anybody. He might be disgraced to anyone, to him nothing is wrong. You need to watch the video he danced with his annoying big tommy.

He told them the truth that they don't want to hear.The truth is the can't do without his genius,they will alway need him

Some irrelevant jobless group of people seeking relevance.
The relevance of Obj in Africa is unparallel.