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Nigeria assures int'l community of violence-free poll

Xinhua, January 24, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Nigerian government on Friday said it remains committed to the conduct of violence-free, fair and credible general elections.

The West African country also assured that the February general elections will hold as scheduled.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Aminu Wali, renewed government conviction when he received the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for West Africa and for Nigeria, Mohammed Chambas.

Wali said that President Goodluck Jonathan remains committed to the conduct of violence-free, fair and credible general elections.

The minister said that there might be a few hitches in the preparations for the elections, but assured the international community that the elections would be credible.

Wali also reaffirmed the commitment of the president to a peaceful poll, adding that the Peace Accord signed by all the presidential candidates last week to ensure peaceful conducts at the poll attest to this.

He said the government would ensure a secured atmosphere for the elections, in view of the Boko Haram attacks in the North East region.

Wali said insurgency would have been overcome if Nigeria had got the desired collaboration from the international community.

He said Nigeria was now pushing back the sect while lost territories are being recovered by the nation's military.

Wali said the country had tried to see that multinational regional force became operational but regretted that certain logistics had prevented its operation.

He urged the UN to give the necessary assistance to Nigeria, saying the sect's activities were capable of destabilizing West Africa and Africa unless Nigeria gets the required cooperation.

Earlier, Chambas said Nigeria is important for the sub-region, the region and the world at large, adding that this was responsible for his designation as Special Representative to West Africa and also Nigeria.

The special envoy acknowledged Nigeria's contributions to peacekeeping operations, saying it is Nigeria's special status that had attracted world attention to its elections.

He said the Secretary-General of the UN, Ban Ki-moon, and the UN Security Council, consider Boko Haram's atrocities as crimes against humanity, which will be investigated and sent to the International Criminal Court. Endite