By Dele Ogbodo
With Few days to the presidential election, the Director of Communication of the All Progressives Congress (APC),
Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN), on Monday accused the Ambassador of the United States (US), Mr. Stuart W. Symington of double standards, meddling in the internal affairs of Nigeria and favouritism for the opposition party the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In a statement made available to SHARPEDGNews Online, he said the presidential candidate of PDP, Alh. Atiku Abubakar, should not have been allowed into the US, flaying as according to him, the ignoble act of allowing Atiku, a special status to enter the U.S for a few days
Such an act, Keyamo, declares is the double standard that US now displays for the whole world to see.
He said: “We are deeply concerned about many of the expressions of the United States’ Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador W. Stuart Symington and other Western Diplomats which have been directed towards Nigeria’s upcoming elections.
“Whilst we laud and whole-heartedly welcome their interests in the elections, many of these expressions have been notably off- key. The continued warnings about ‘flawed elections’ is capable of casting an unwarranted cloud over the process. Instead of encouraging our country toward credible elections, such statements undermine public confidence. It would appear that these envoys seem to have discredited the election before it has even taken place.
“We truly hope some of the statements attributed to these diplomats are inaccurate. For instance, an online reported that Amb. Stuart Symington threatened to “hold to account” anyone whose speech, no matter the motivation of that speech, engendered hatred.
“We all agree that any speech willfully intended to trigger violence is condemnable. However, in condemning other forms of political speech, the American envoy overstepped his ambassadorial brief. For instance, the American Ambassador was reported to have condemned a situation where a candidate says that his opponent’s political and economic policies are abhorrent and dangerous to the greater welfare of the people and calls on the citizens to hate and reject such policies.
“In our view, this is a correct statement because it is the duty of the candidate to tell the people these truths to protect the nation from subsequent calamity. But Ambassador Symington says his country would punish such necessary political speeches.”
According to him, it is significant to note that such strong political speeches are not unlawful in the United States, but Symington is seeking to penalize such speeches by Nigerians.
The APC Spokesperson, said the US seeks to shrink Nigeria’s ambit of free speech so that she may behave in accordance with their vision of well-behaved Africans, rather than in consonance with our vision of our own democracy, no matter how tumultuous and dramatic we may be.
“However, Symington intentionally issued his threats to place a chilling effect on speeches in Nigeria that, if uttered in America, would be constitutionally protected.
“Unfounded allegations and threats to penalize people for constitutionally-protected free speech is improper interference in our internal affairs. Sadly, what Ambassador Symington and some other western diplomats are doing border on the improper.
“We take the view that the constant statements by Ambassador Symington and the other diplomats are implicit attacks against the government of Nigeria.
“These statements imply the Nigerian government is inclined to rig the election in favour of President Muhammadu Buhari. This is unfair and unacceptable to us.”
An American ambassador, according to him, has a great responsibility in representing the strongest economic and military power in the world. His comments carry weight because of the status of his nation, adding that his comments should reflect a deep knowledge of the subject.
He said: “Sadly, Ambassador Symington has not shown the deep knowledge of Nigerian situation. The impression he creates by constantly harping on suspected government interference with the electoral process is that President Buhari cannot win without tipping the results. He seems to be saying that only a PDP victory will be evidence of a fair election.
“Again, he is in great error. From all of the information at our disposal, President Buhari can and should win a free and fair election. However, it appears to us that Ambassador Symington is substituting his subjective conclusions for the sovereign will of the Nigerian people. In doing so, he has abandoned the impartiality of a true envoy and has trespassed into interfering in our electoral process.
“Instead of encouraging free and fair elections, these judgmental statements and threats only cast an unnecessary pall over the elections and the nation. This is an international disservice and not international diplomacy. The days of unquestioned condescension to Western powers are long gone and we are not prepared at this time in Nigeria to recede to that era.”
According to him, Nigerians will define Nigeria’s democracy, stressing: “We shall hold fair and just elections, not because of scolding by diplomats, but because we have sufficient intelligence and morality to do what is right for ourselves.”