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Ghana's former vice-president seeks Nigeria's elections assistance

Other News Materials 16 April 2008 02:00 (UTC +04:00)

(dpa) - Nigeria's condemned April 2007 general elections notwithstanding, Ghana's former vice-president John Atta-Mills Tuesday sought Nigeria's support in making his country's December 7 general election free, fair and transparent.
Atta-Mills made the request when he visited a former governor of Abia State in Nigeria's southeast, Orji Kalu. He is running for president in Ghana's December elections, as the candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of Ghana.
Local and international election monitors and observers roundly condemned the Nigerian election that returned Umaru Yar'Adua as president, calling it a sham and an exercise ridden with rigging and other electoral malpractice.
Atta-Mills said he was seeking help because he believed "that Nigerians are interested in democracy."
"I want Nigerians to take interest in our forthcoming election and make sure that it is free, fair and transparent," he said. "This is the gift that Nigerians can give to us."
Attah-Mills appealed to Africa's political leaders to stop the post-election crisis in Zimbabwe, and to stop discriminating against opposition supporters.
Mills said that it was not easy being in opposition in Africa, especially, in a polarised country like Ghana, where "instead of looking upon ourselves as friendly rivals, we consider ourselves as enemies."
"You cannot say you believe in democracy and you do not believe in the ballot. We must learn to use the ballot and use it effectively for the purpose for which it is meant," he said.

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