Nigerian FM warns foreign missions over inflammatory remarks on poll shift

Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Aminu Wali has cautioned diplomats against making inflammatory remarks and reckless statements against their host government on matters of domestic policy.

Wali handed down the warning at an interactive session with members of the Diplomatic Corps in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria on Wednesday.

The minister expressed outright displeasure with the conduct of some Heads of Mission who have continued to breach the laid down diplomatic channels of communication.

According to him, some heads of mission have continued to behave in an imperial manner and in clear breach of the channel of the diplomatic communication.

"A situation where a Head of Mission takes on the role of a government, seeking to impose the views and perspectives of his government and making unguarded utterances on matters that are strictly within the domestic jurisdiction of the host country is totally unacceptable," the minister said.

"It is only in this country that I have noticed some envoys who have taken it upon themselves and without recourse to the government to embark on social causes and political advocacy that are totally unrelated to conventional diplomacy and representational duties of ambassadors," he added.

The minister declared that with the support of Nigerians and the international community, the elections would hold as re- scheduled and in a peaceful and violence-free atmosphere.

He said it had become evident that elections could not hold as planned in the three North East states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.

He said the decision to shift the elections, as stated by electoral body Chairman, Attahiru Jega, was taken after painstaking consultations with all relevant stakeholders.

He said the federal government found the comments already made by some of Nigeria's friends and partners on the polls shift as judgemental, precipitate and unwaranted.

National elections, earlier billed for February 14 and 28, were rescheduled for March 28 and April 11 following a "strong advisory" and a warning from the National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, and military chiefs that they could not guarantee security for the polls.

The opposition All Progressives Congress has accused the military of being used by the Jonathan administration to scuttle the election after it had earlier given a clear commitment to provide security for the elections just three days before making a volte-face. Endi