By Emmanuel Oloniruha

Abuja

Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) has called on political party leaders, candidates and their supporters to adhere strictly to the Peace Accord signed by political parties as well as the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act.

The WFD Country Director in Nigeria, Mr Adebowale Olorunmola, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday.

NAN reports that Olorunmola’s call was against the backdrop of the blockage of Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, during his visit to Benue on Tuesday.

According to him, the constitution guarantees political parties freedom to campaign across the country without intimidation or unlawful hindrance.

“My advice to political actors is to be more broad-minded.

“Democracy is for people to be able to make a choice, and for them to make that choice, they need to hear the candidates and the parties. The parties need to campaign and have legitimate access legally.

“If the goal is to serve the people, and political actors believe they are the best to serve the people, they should focus on issue-based campaigns rather than restricting access or engaging in violence.

“Political leaders must speak to their candidates and supporters to ensure total compliance with the spirit and letter of the signed Peace Accord and the Nigerian Constitution, which forms the foundation of our democracy,” Olorunmola said.

He also cautioned political actors against restricting opposition parties from carrying out electioneering or other lawful activities, describing such actions as unacceptable in a democratic system.

The country director noted that democracy thrives on open participation and fair contestation, warning that restricting legitimate political activities could portend danger for the country’s democratic growth.

“In a democratic state, it is unacceptable that any party, particularly the opposition, is stopped from conducting its activities, especially in the spirit of campaigns.

“Access to campaign spaces, whether for the ruling party or opposition parties, should be free. This does not portend something good for our democracy.

“Our democracy needs to be sustainable, and if it is going to be sustainable, we need to discourage such actions,” he said.

Olorunmola stated that blocking opposition candidates from landing at local airports or utilising state-owned public venues should not be encouraged.

“We have had semblances of that in the past, where opposition parties were stopped from landing in particular states or using particular venues for their activities, just to ensure they are not able to contest effectively.

“I don’t think that is good for democracy, and we need to put a stop to it,” he added.(NAN)