Nigeria: 'Monarchs' Involvement in Politics Threaten Credible Polls'

The Human Rights Writers' Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has said that the tacit involvement of monarchs in partisan politics will further erode any respect left for the traditional institutions by the critical members of the public.

In a statement issued by the group's National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Director of Media Affairs Ms. Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to call these traditional rulers to order because their continuous involvement in partisan politics can overheat the polity and endanger the smooth conduct of the April general elections.

HURIWA said "if traditional rulers continue to rub shoulders with incumbent political office holders in their domains and also continue in the ongoing practice of publicly endorsing incumbent political office holders at all levels, then democracy is at the threshold of 'active' and 'systematic' extinction."

It said the recent reported endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan by a cross section of traditional rulers in the South East, South West and North Central as well as the public endorsement of Senate President David Mark by Idoma traditional rulers in Benue State may jeopardize the much talked about free, fair, peaceful and transparently credible general elections in April in the country.

The group said it was embarrassing that the custodians of the revered traditional institutions who should guard the integrity and political neutrality for which the traditional stools are renowned, have chosen to follow the now infamous route of chasing pecuniary benefits.


(2011-1-5/allafrica)