Nigerians living in the U.S. and Canada have hailed the victory of President Goodluck Jonathan and his deputy, Namadi Sambo in the presidential elections.Prof. Iyorwuese Hagher, Nigeria’s high commissioner to Canada, congratulated Jonathan on his conduct throughout the campaign process. “His humility, good sense, amiable comportment and decency raised the standard of political campaign in the country and his victory is not only that of the PDP, but of the Nigerian people and the political class,’’ he said.
Hagher said the election compared favourably with global standards, adding that “it is the freest since the beginning of our democratic journey 50 years ago.”
He, however, noted that the voting pattern showed a disturbing trend of a lingering and festering religious and ethnic fault line which must be addressed.
He said ``the political class must rise up to heal the wounds of political divisions immediately, as we conclude the next phase of elections and face the task of nation building.’’
Mr. Basil Njoku, a Nigerian living in New York, said Jonathan’s conduct and that of INEC means that Nigeria ``is gradually reaping the benefits of true democracy.
“We have become a model for our region where transition to democracy has become intractable.
“The message to other African countries is, if Nigeria can do it they can do it and whatever difficulties we face will be surmounted as we make progress in our democracy,’’ he said.
Njoku called on Jonathan to fulfil his promise of ensuring that Nigerians living in the Diaspora voted in the next general elections in 2015.
“We are also an important bloc in the welfare of our nation and time has come to allow Nigerian citizens abroad to vote in the elections,’’ he said.
In a statement, Nigeria in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) in the Americas called Jonathan’s triumph “a victory for all Nigerians both home and abroad.
“We in the Diaspora can now walk tall with our heads high and we hope this election will serve as paradigm for future elections in the country,’’ Victor Ugoh, vice chairman, Board of Directors of NIDO, said in the statement.
The organisation called on the president to come up with a lasting solution to Nigeria’s power problem, which has limited economic and industrial development.
They also urged him to actively involve the Diaspora through NIDO in his development projects. (NAN).