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The Commonwealth, which suspended Nigeria from membership in November , has halted the implementation of further sanctions recommended in April pending further discussions with the Nigerian government. The Organization of African Unity has failed to take any measures against Nigeria, and the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, which held an extraordinary session on Nigeria in December , has yet to follow this up with further action or recommendations. Economic considerations within Nigeria's largest trading partners appear to have taken over from the moral and political outrage expressed at the executions of the Ogoni Nine in the face of international pleas for clemency.
Although it consented to the fact-finding mission sent by the U. It has, in theory, promised to allow missions from the U. However, dates have not been set for any of these missions, and various proposed times have been rejected as unsuitable for one reason or another. After initially refusing to consider a visit, in August the Nigerian government announced that it was inviting CMAG to come to the country, but terms for a mission are still under negotiation. Detainees must be released, free political activity restored, the rule of law respected, and fundamental human rights guaranteed.
Above all, further sanctions are necessary to ensure that Nigeria is returned to rule by an elected civilian government as soon as possible, and certainly well before the current proposed date of October 1, Human Rights Watch calls on the international community to press the Nigerian government to implement the above recommendations, by maintaining existing sanctions in place and implementing further measures, both unilaterally and through the medium of multilateral institutions. In particular:. Human Rights Watch calls especially on the United Kingdom among European states to use the influence it has with the Nigerian government by virtue of its strong trade and political links to the maximum effect; in particular by publicly denouncing human rights violations of all kinds, exerting pressure on the Nigerian government to return Nigeria to civilian rule, and taking a lead in multilateral fora for the imposition of further sanctions against Nigeria pending the end of military government.
High Commissioner for Human Rights to investigate and report on the current situation of human rights in Nigeria, with particular reference to the role of the military in politics and progress of the restoration of civilian rule;. Security Council to introduce sanctions against Nigeria, pending the restoration of civilian government, including a total arms embargo, visa restrictions and a freeze on the assets in other countries of members of the Nigerian armed or security forces or members of the Provisional Ruling Council or Federal Executive Council and their families.
Human Rights Watch calls in particular on South Africa to take a lead among African States in pressing the Nigerian government to make rapid return to civilian rule. Security Council level and in other international fora, pending the return of Nigeria to civilian rule. Human Rights Watch calls on Shell and the other multinational corporations operating in Nigeria , in particular in the field of oil exploration and production, to:. On June 12, , presidential elections were held in Nigeria, following an extended "transition program" to return the country to civilian rule after years of military government.
Officially promulgated by military ruler General Ibrahim Babangida in , the transition had been repeatedly extended and date for the presidential elections that would complete the program repeatedly postponed. The terms on which the elections would be held had also been modified, so that only two government-created political parties were eventually allowed to contest: the "left-of-center" Social Democratic Party, led by Moshood K. Abiola, a Muslim from the south west of the country; and the "right-of-center" National Republican Convention, led by Bashir Othman Tofa, a northerner.
Early returns indicated that Chief Abiola had won the presidential election, with strong support in all parts of the country; and unofficial results later indicated that he had gained An involved series of other suits and counter-suits concerning the elections were then filed in different courts around the country by pro- and anti-military groups, resulting in a conflicting set of injunctions ordering or prohibiting the announcement of further results.
On June 23, the federal government announced that the elections were annulled and the NEC suspended. On June 26, Gen. Babangida justified the annulment in a nationwide broadcast, citing the confusion of court rulings as well as electoral malpractice, although he stated that the military was still committed to leaving office on August 27, the date set for the transfer of power by the transition program. Later it was announced that a fresh election would be held on August 14 under a reconstituted NEC.
Nationwide protests erupted in response to the annulment, followed by a crackdown on those protesting. On July 26, , it was announced that an "interim national government" would be installed with a mandate to hold fresh presidential elections. On August 27, Gen. Babangida officially handed over power to Ernest Shonekan, a civilian. Sani Abacha was made vice-president, and effective control of government remained in the hands of the army. Popular discontent, including nationwide strikes, continued, despite measures such as the banning of a number of newspapers.
On November 10, in a remarkable judgment, the High Court in Lagos declared the interim government illegal. On November 17, , Shonekan was deposed by Gen. Abacha, who became head of state. While promising a swift return to democracy, Abacha banned all political parties including the two "approved" parties that had contested the elections ; dismantled those democratic structures that were already functioning, including the state and federal legislatures elected in and respectively , and replaced civilian state governors with military administrators.
The Constitution Suspension and Modification Decree of restored the constitution, but suspended the operation of those sections of the constitution giving protections to detainees, while ousting the jurisdiction of the courts to inquire into the validity of military decrees. Opposition to the new military government and calls for the restoration of the results of the June 12 elections continued. In May a new pro-democracy group was formed, the National Democratic Coalition NADECO , and released a "Lagos Declaration" calling for the military to leave politics within two weeks, for Abiola to be installed as president and form a government of national unity, and for the new government finally to convene the long- advocated "sovereign national conference" to determine the future shape of the Nigerian federation.
Soon after, members of the disbanded House of Representatives and Senate, the two chambers of the National Assembly, reconvened and declared the Abacha government illegal; and on June 11, Chief Abiola declared himself president at a public rally in Lagos. A crackdown on those involved in the demonstrations followed, in which several hundred people died, and many others detained.
While the protests continued, Abacha took steps to implement his own "transition program. Unlike the body called for by the democracy movement, however, the NCC would have only consultative status and its members would not all be elected. In addition, candidates for the elected positions were vetted before they were allowed to stand. The constitutional conference convened on June 27, Of its members, were elected, and ninety-six nominated by the PRC. The chair and deputy chair, wielding control over the process, were appointed by the head of state.
The rules for voting on decisions of the conference provided for a simple majority: that is to say, decisions could be taken by the ninety-six nominated members with the support of twenty-seven of those elected. Moreover, the decisions taken by the conference had no power to bind the PRC in any way, which could amend any of the recommendations it chose in determining the final shape of the proposed constitution and transition program. In December , the constitutional conference surprisingly recommended to the government that it should hand over power to an elected civilian government by January 1, At the same time he announced the partial lifting of the ban on political activities, while warning politicians "to guard against reckless and provocative utterances, political rallies and campaigns until the release of a comprehensive electoral timetable by the National Electoral Commission.
The draft constitution has not been published. Neither journalists nor lawyers have been able to see and comment on the whole document, although some of the contents have become known. For example, the draft constitution proposes rotation of offices between individuals from different areas, so that the presidency would switch between representatives of the north and south of Nigeria, governors would be drawn from different districts of a state, and so forth. On October 1, , General Sani Abacha gave a nationwide address, broadcast on Nigerian television, on the occasion of the thirty-fifth anniversary of Nigerian independence, in which he set out a timetable for a return to civilian rule.
A newly elected president is to be sworn in and "final disengagement" of the military completed on October 1, The creation of a number of bodies to oversee the transition process was also announced: a new National Electoral Commission of Nigeria NECON was to replace the National Electoral Commission NEC that presided over the elections under Babangida's transition program; a Federal Character Commission was to examine the "imbalances which have disadvantaged sections of our citizenry" by working out an equitable formula for sharing of federal and state posts; and a Transition Implementation Committee, a National Reconciliation Committee, and a Committee on State Creation and Local Government Boundary Adjustment were to look at other aspects of the transition program.
The most popular of our sex contacts pages are definitely our city directories. The attack followed election riots and burning of churches in northern states. Traders had paid anything up to Naira1, per month to the Ikeja local government for their solidly built stalls. All participants denounced industrial actions, sometimes with a gloomy perception of what the future holds, as illustrated by the following quote: Adams drove on to Kpor, and was arrested at a roadblock, where his car was searched and a statement by MOSOP that had been given to him in K-Dere confiscated. She said: They asked the guard who he was. In April , police in Lagos boasted that they had killed at least eighty alleged armed robbers in the previous two months.
At the same time, banning orders on two publications critical of the government, The Punch and The National Concord published by detained presidential candidate M. Abiola , were lifted. The detailed timetable set out in the speech, which bears close resemblance to the timetable established for the Babangida transition, was as follows:. Approval of draft Constitution; lifting of ban on political activities; establishment of a National Electoral Commission of Nigeria NECON ; creation of Transition Implementation Committee, National Reconciliation Committee and Federal Character Commission; appointment of panel for the creation of states and local government boundary adjustments.
Registration of political parties; delineation of constituencies; production of an authentic voters' register. Election of local government councils at party level; sitting of local government election tribunals and conduct of bye-elections. Inauguration of party elected local government councils; consolidation of new political party structures.
Party state primaries to select candidates for the state assembly and governorship elections; screening and approval of candidates by NECON. State assembly elections; sitting of state election tribunals and conduct of bye-elections. Election of state governors; sitting of state election tribunals and conduct of bye-elections. Inauguration of state assemblies and swearing in of state governors; party primaries to select candidates for National Assembly elections; National Assembly election campaigns. National Assembly elections; sitting of National Assembly election tribunals and conduct of bye- elections; primaries to select candidates for presidential elections; commencement of nationwide campaign for the presidential elections.
Swearing-in of newly-elected president and final disengagement by the armed forces. Section 6 of the Transition to Civil Rule Decree makes punishable by five years in prison any person who "organizes, plans, encourages, aids, cooperates or conspires with any other person to undermine, prevent or in any way do anything to forestall or prejudice the realization of the political programme"; or if any person "does or attempts to do any act to counsel, persuade, encourage, organize, mobilize, pressurize or threaten another person to join with him or with any other person or persons to misrepresent, accuse or distort the details, implications or purports of any item of the political programme.
From March 16 to 23, local government elections were held on a "zero party" basis across Nigeria, according to NECON guidelines released on February 7. The tortuous system for selection of representatives involved the election of thirty delegates from each of 6, electoral wards in local government areas. The delegates then constituted an electoral college to choose ten "super-delegates" and two councilors per ward, who in turn elected both councilors and council chairmen.
The Chairman of NECON, Chief Sumner Dagogo-Jack, estimated that 60 percent of eligible Nigerians voted in the elections, or twenty-four million, against the 40 percent, or fourteen million, believed to have voted in opposition politicians and pro-democracy activists contended that these figures were vastly inflated. Candidates at all levels in the local government elections were screened by NECON before being allowed to stand. In Lagos state, of candidates were disqualified.
Ward-level elections for the delegates were held using an "open ballot" or queue system, while those for councilors and council chairs were on a "modified open ballot system. According to NAN reports, administrative confusion was widely prevalent on the first voting day, [11] while violence marred the elections in some areas: in Kaduna, up to four people were killed in clashes that took place at voting stations. Human Rights Watch heard directly of several cases of disqualification of candidates regarded by the government as being politically suspect.
After he filed the necessary forms, he was called for an interview by the Internal Security Task Force, which he failed to attend. He was later accosted at the Bori police station, which he was visiting for other reasons, and beaten with both fists and the butt of a gun. After being hit on the head, he collapsed, and was later taken by his family for treatment at hospital.