HURIWA prescribes model for Nigeria
The African Steward Advocacy (AFSTAD) has welcomed Senegal’s fifth President, Basirou Diomaye Faye.Its acceptance of the new 44-year-old leader was contained in a congratulatory statement issued yesterday by its Global Coordinator, Hammed Saheed Oloro, Regional Coordinator for West Africa, Isyaku Sabo, and Media Officer, Olawale Kunle Ogunbusola.
The group noted that Faye’s victory on Sunday has shown the world that democracy is thriving in Africa, and reincarnated ideals of one of the greatest African nationalists, Nelson Mandela, who ruled South Africa after freedom from prison, while demanding human rights freedom and good governance post-apartheid.
The statement reads in part: “For Senegalese to have preferred an activist, who was still in prison against another candidate, indicates that Africa is growing democratically. No more room for totalitarianism.”
“We must reiterate here that your election is a reincarnation of our epitomic leader, Nelson Mandela, who equally ruled his country, South Africa, after freedom from prison.”
Faye succeeds Mackey Sall, who presided over the West African country from 2012 till March 24, 2024.
RELATEDLY, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), yesterday, applauded the peaceful conduct of the poll.
It said the comportment portrayed Senegal as the true bastion of democracy in Africa, which Nigeria should adopt. In a statement by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, the group praised the electoral umpires for “conducting the presidential election without fear, favour or letting themselves to be pocketed by the incumbent President unlike in Nigeria whereby electoral officials are bought and pocketed by highest bidders in any electoral contest.”
It recalled that the provisional results showed that the opposition candidate, Faye, had about 53.7per cent, while former Prime Minister and ruling coalition’s standard-bearer, Amadou Ba, secured 36.2per cent based on tallies from 90 per cent of polling stations in the first-round vote. All the defeated candidates in the election, HURIWA noted, have congratulated the youngest President-elect out of modern Africa.
