Report flaws before elections, Jonathan tells observers

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has called on international election observers to report any observed lapses before election rather than wait until after the exercise.Speaking at State House, Abuja on Thursday, during an audience with members of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), led by former Prime Minister of Canada, Mr Joe Clark, he appealed to international election observers not to hesitate to draw attention to any lapses noticed.While thanking members of the delegation for their longstanding efforts to ensure free and fair elections globally, he noted that the basis for any genuine democracy was credible election and that anybody who did not believe in the power of the ballot box had no place in governance or leadership.Jonathan added that this belief accounted for the administrations appointment of credible people into the electoral bodyand total support for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) towards successful elections.The president said he had a responsibility to lead by example, whether I am a candidate or not, I must conduct an election that would meet global minimum standards of transparency and fairness.According to him, Nigeria cannot aspire to occupy any leadership position in Africa or elsewhere without a free, fair and transparent election, stating that, several countries in Africa have had successful elections, and if we dont get it right, we cant lead anybody or call anybody to order when they miss the mark.
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