President Bola Tinubu has been urged by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) to follow through on his Democracy Day statements by addressing historical injustices in Nigeria’s democratic process, especially those related to the momentous June 12, 1993, presidential election.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by the group’s deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, which was made public on Saturday.
In order to look into the June 12 election cancellation and identify the people responsible for the alleged “deliberate violations of Nigerians democratic freedoms,” SERAP urged President Tinubu to form a presidential panel of investigation.
No matter their political party, the group urged Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, to hold guilty people accountable. Furthermore, SERAP encouraged the president to request that Fagbemi prepare and swiftly submit an executive action to the National Assembly for the Electoral Act 2022 modification.
The measure would require the electronic transmission of election results and provide all voters with access to election documentation. The group contended that doing so would improve electoral openness, guard against manipulation, and contribute to the public’s renewed trust in Nigeria’s democratic system.
The group demanded that the president immediately stop all legal actions and drop all charges against Nigerians who are either in custody or on trial for merely exercising their rights to free speech and peaceful protest.
The letter said, “Your Democracy Day speech demonstrated a dedication to freedom, open and accountable governance, and social justice.”
“However, unless your government takes decisive action to ensure democratic freedoms, enforce electoral reforms, and end impunity for past violations, such commitments will sound hollow.
“SERAP underlined that abuses of democratic rights are not subject to a statute of limitations and that structural reforms and accountability are necessary to realise the principles of June 12.
It cautioned that a culture of impunity has been established by the failure to bring those accountable for the June 12 annulment to justice, which will encourage further interference with Nigerian elections and democratic rights.
The group declared that “ensuring open access to electoral documents and amending the Electoral Act to mandate electronic transmission of results are essential to delivering credible elections.”
“Voters will also be able to confirm the validity of election results.” The group also called for a revision of the rules that restrict free speech.
It requested that the president work to remove or alter legislation that have been used to silence critics, dissenters, and journalists, such as the Cybercrimes Act and the Criminal and Penal Codes criminal defamation and untruth laws.
The increasing number of strategic lawsuits against public participation has alarmed SERAP, which pointed out that these legal strategies—which are frequently supported by politicians and security services—are being used to harass and intimidate Nigerians who are peacefully voicing their opinions.
“Your administration must dismantle repressive structures and protect democratic freedoms in accordance with the Constitution, your oath of office, and Nigeria’s international human rights commitments,” SERAP stated.
The organisation promised to take legal action to force compliance in the public interest if the president didn’t start adopting its suggestions within the seven days it was given.
