The leading opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has appealed to the European Union and other international organisations to ensure that the federal government conducts a free and fair election in 2019.
The National Chairman of the PDP, Uche Secondus, made the appeal while hosting a European Union team led by Ketil Karlsen.
Secondus said the emerging signs in the country had shown that the government and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, were not ready for a free and fair election.
According to a statement by his media aide, Ike Abonyi, Secondus told his visitors that the government and its agencies were not realistically preparing for free and fair election.
Said Secondus: “What we see is marshal system of framing up opposition leaders and trying to intimidate them.
“They are not ready to observe the rule of law and there is no democracy without rule of law.
“We conducted election in 2015, the party and the presidential candidate did not go to court, we had smooth transition because we believe in the rule of law.
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“Nigeria as the largest black nation in the globe cannot afford crisis because of the huge effect it would have on the continent and the entire global democratic community if democracy is truncated.”
Secondus said the team’s visit came at the appropriate time given that President Muhammadu Buhari had just indicated interest to re-contest for a second term in 2019.
He stated that the PDP was mobilising its members and other Nigerians ahead of the election through its rebranding project targeted at youths and women.
