The Campaign for Democracy congratulates Mr Barack Obama on his emphatic re-election by American electorates as president in Saturday
polls.
The Campaign for Democracy congratulates Mr Barack Obama on his emphatic re-election by American electorates as president in Saturday
polls.
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Obama's re-election with both popular and electoral college votes in the midst a heated campaign that brought out all that divides America
is a testimony to the triumph of vision,focussed leadership and an enduring human spirit over atavistic fault lines.
Obama has worked for America and the global community in four years with grey hair as his reward.
As we begin to savour the avalanche of congratulatory messages from our leaders in Nigeria on the virtues of democracy which they daily deny our people at home,we must point out that there are lessons Nigeria must learn from what just happened.
The first thing is that incumbency is not a license to become irresponsible with the electorates.Obama toured America and campaigned even harder than the opposition to win the electorates .He did not open the treasury of America to manipulate the process or take undue advantage of state institutions for political abuse.
It is also important to commend the orderly conduct of theelection,it's transparency and the civilised conduct of all parties to our people"do-or-die" politicians.They must learn how to seek power the way 21st century human beings do without violence and
bloodletting.
The Nigerian electorates too must learn from their American counterparts who listened to the programmes of the candidates and made
informed choices without the influence of cash,recharge cards or kerosene.
Drawing from the American experience to better our battered democratic project is far more important than hollow rituals of empty speeches
and celebrations of Obama victory.
Dr. Joe Okei - Odumakin is President of Campaign for Democracy, Nigeria.
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