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Nigeria's Yar'Adua attacks Mugabe regime

19/07/2008

Nigerian president Umaru Yar'Adua has hit out at Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, despite his own election being criticised by international observers.

Mr Yar'Adua, addressing an audience of Chatham House members in London, said his government does not recognise the uncontested June 27th runoff vote which returned Mr Mugabe to power.

His comments come one year after he admitted "lapses and shortcomings" in the vote which brought him to power. The May 2007 poll was criticised by international observers for ballot-rigging and voter intimidation.

"Nigeria's goal is a commitment to the development of genuine democracy to ensure that genuine democracy becomes the dominant culture that provides a framework for development on the African continent," Mr Yar'Adua said.

"Africans must ensure that we anchor democracy on credible elections. We could not recognise the runoff election as the basis of a solution to the Zimbabwe crisis.

"We still offer our belief in the rule of law not only in Nigeria but anywhere on the continent."

Responding to questions about the issue of his own legitimacy, Mr Yar'Adua said he had laid out electoral reform plans for Nigeria in his inaugural address and remained committed to seeing through the changes needed.

"We only deceive ourselves if we continue to pretend that post-election [violence] is not a threat to peace and stability," he added, underlining "our abiding belief that persistent stability cannot survive in a system without the rule of law".

His focus, he explained, is on ensuring the rule of law as much in the unstable Niger Delta as elsewhere in the country.

The region has been blighted by security problems thanks to the activities of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend). It costs 1.5 million barrels a day in production and has been contributed to high energy prices currently afflicting global markets.

Earlier this week the UK government pledged its own support on the problem, providing "robust accounting systems" to deal with oil smuggling and a maritime training centre to aid security in the wider region.

"The government and people of Nigeria greatly appreciate the offer of help from the British prime minister Gordon Brown that Britain is willing to partner Nigeria in finding a lasting solution," Mr Yar'Adua said.

He qualified his assessments about prospects for quick improvements in the Delta, however, describing his approach as "pragmatic" and talking of a "daunting challenge" facing his country.

The People's Democratic party (PDP) leader was quick to emphasise the investment potential Nigeria offers and said he was committed to improving its infrastructure.

A protester shouted abuse at Mr Yar'Adua as he left the Chatham House event, underlining the dissent which critics say continues to linger in Abuja and across Nigeria.

Almost all the election challenges nullified by the courts have come from the 28 of Nigeria's 36 states controlled by the PDP.

"You expect, just picking by chance, you are likely to pick first from my party," Mr Yar'Adua explained. The audience reacted with laughter.