Gambari hails Senegal for choosing democracy, insists failure not an option

The Head of the ECOWAS Observer Mission to Senegal and former Nigeria’s minister for external affairs, Ibrahim Gambari, on Friday praised the resilience of the people of Senegal and their commitment to stand by the principles of free elections and the tenets of democratic governance.

Mr Gambari, a professor, who leads a 130-member observer group which is in Dakar Senegal to monitor the Presidential elections on behalf of ECOWAS said in a period when authoritarian forces threaten to reverse the gains of democracy in the region, the choice by Senegal to go through with the elections is proof that West Africa is on the right part.

He said the election is too important for the region’s democratic credentials, noting that, “failure is not an option.”

Mr Gambari said it is incumbent on all the stakeholders, including the various observer missions to Senegal, to respect the choice of the people by remaining impartial and be guided by the principle of integrity and professionalism.

The former ambassador said the deployment of a large observer mission reflects ECOWAS unwavering commitment to support Senegal in its long and fruitful democratic journey.

He said for him personally, being chosen to lead the mission is an opportunity to continue his work in upholding the principles that hold the region together, a job he has been engaged in for over forty years since he first became Nigeria’s minister for external affairs.

The Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security for ECOWAS, Abdul-Fateh Musah, noted that the fact that the elections are holding now shows both the challenges that the region has been facing and the resilience of civil society and the people of Senegal.

He said the objective of ECOWAS has always been to ensure that countries in the region are self regulating and resilient enough to ensure that no one can divert the course of good governance in the region.

He said because of the recent incidents of coups and attempted coups in the region, there has been talk of a retreat from democracy, a situation worsened by other negatives like the influx of Islamist terrorists organisations which seem to define the region.

He said the situation in Senegal shows there is a brighter side to things and also proved the progressive nature of the region as Senegal remains one of only two member states in West Africa that has not succumbed to military rule since independence, the other being Cape Verde.

The commissioner praised the integrity and republican nature of the security forces in Senegal and their ability to stay the course and support democratic governance in Senegal.

He said ECOWAS was enamoured by the fact that the recent hiccups in the electoral process in the country was handled internally without any external help and it is crucial to celebrate such upsides.

The commissioner pointed to the fact that there is no longer any question or issues of presidents seeking third terms in the region and he noted the successful hand over in Liberia recently where three of the nation’s leaders, the former president, the then president and the incoming president attended the inauguration.

He expressed disappointment at the efforts of the military juntas in the region, the so-called alliance of the Sahelian States of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso who had earlier called for sanctions against Senegal and tried to encourage anti-democratic forces there.

“We are in Senegal to witness a beautiful process where the constitutional council and the people stayed strong and ensured that the rule of law was followed,” he said.

He also noted that this election is remarkable for the fact that the sitting president and the main opposition figure in the country are not taking part therefore leaving the field wide open and possibly freer and less tension soaked.

He said the ECOWAS observer mission was in Senegal to demonstrate solidarity with the Senegalese people and to ensure that any hiccup or problem is resolved amicably.

The Sunday March 24 election which is coming after President Macky Sall had earlier shifted the date has 19 candidates on the ballot although two have supposedly dropped out of the campaign in the last two days, still making it the largest number of people ever to seek that office in the nation’s history. Over 7 million registered voters, 700,000 of whom have never voted, are expected to take part in the elections.

There are however fears that with 900,000 people already disenfranchised because their names were omitted from the voter register, the grounds for conflict and appeal has already been laid.