The Head of ECOWAS Election Observation Mission (EOM), former Ghanaian President John Kufuor and his colleagues from the African Union and the Commonwealth have congratulated Nigeria’s National Peace Committee for its work and called on Nigerians to carry through the entire electoral process the maturity and discipline displayed during the 28 March 2015 presidential and federal legislative elections.

At a meeting in Abuja on Tuesday 31st March 2015, former President Kufuor, and the African Union Observer Mission chief, former Liberian leader Prof. Amos Sawyer and former Malawi President Bakili Muluzi, who headed the Commonwealth poll observers, were unanimous in their praise of the National Peace Committee, chaired by former Nigerian military leader Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar.

They encouraged the Committee members to continue their laudable job of building trust and confidence for peaceful coexistence, especially during the post-election period, just like they did before and during the polls by facilitating the Abuja Peace Accord signed by the major political contenders.

“Elections are about governance and our prayer is that Nigerian political parties, their candidates and teeming supporters will accept the results of the elections, with the winner showing magnanimity and the runner-up showing cooperation,” the ECOWAS election Observation Mission chief affirmed.

His peers, Prof. Sawyer and Dr. Muluzi, along with the Head of the UN Office in West Africa, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, concurred, and expressed the hope that the idea of the Peace Committee would be replicated in other parts of Africa towards deepening democracy and good governance in the continent.

“Nigeria is a special country to us as a regional organization. It is not only our host country it is also, one of the nations that initiated ECOWAS,” declared the President of the ECOWAS Commission H.E. Kadré Desire Ouédraogo. “What happens here is of great importance to ECOWAS.”

In his response, the National Peace Committee Chairman Gen. Abubakar, on behalf of the Committee and Nigerians in general, expressed his appreciation to the international election observer groups and promised that the Committee would continue its peace building work.

Also present at the meeting were the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Mrs. Salamatu Hussaini Suleiman, and the African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Mrs. Aisha Abdullahi.

Other members of the Peace Committee present, included former Nigerian Chief of General Staff, Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe (rtd), Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Archbishop of the Anglican Church, Nigeria, Dr. Nicolas Okoh, business mogul Aliko Dangote, Director General of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution Prof. Oshita Oshita, legal practitioners Priscilla Kuye and Amenze Guobadia, and Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council Dr. Tanko Yinusa.