Nigerians Overseas Welcome Changes At Home

The conduct of the National Assembly elections and their unfolding results show that Nigeria is changing, Prof. Kole Omotosho, Director, Africa Diaspora Network, said on Monday.

Omotosho spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Johannesburg against the backdrop of the National Assembly polls and their results so far.

“I followed elections in the last two days. What is encouraging is that there is no widespread rigging we saw in 2007, though there were some spots of violence but they have been contained.

“Nigeria is changing. You see good showings by new parties such as Accord in Oyo, Labour in Ondo, PPN in Ogun.

“People are now using small platforms to try to move forward rather than depending on the huge political machines like the PDP and this is a very interesting development,” he said.

Omotosho said the pattern of votes by the electorate also showed that people were determined for a change, describing the attitude at polling stations as commendable.

“Voting was more like a carnival,” he said, adding “we are likely to have a credible election process at the end of the day.”

He lauded INEC for its determination to produce a good election in the face of infrastructural limitations in Nigeria , saying it was “a fantastic development”.

“We need to be thankful because so far it is incredible,” he said, urging INEC not to relent but to be more vigilant as some people may become desperate in the next round of elections.

“Let us pray it will continue to improve,’ he stated.