The President- elect, Alhaji Umar Musa Yar Adua will next week embark on multi-nation tour to solicit support for his administration.
Already prominent members of the opposition parties have intensified pressure to block foreign recognition for the Yar Adua administration following on the allegation of widespread rigging of the April 21, 2007 elections by his political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Source close to Yar’ Adua revealed in Abuja yesterday that the tour would start on Tuesday May 8 and last till May 25, 2007. It was learnt that all necessary preparation had been made for the smooth tour of the countries already penciled down for visit.
The source revealed that the President-elect will among others visit countries such as South Africa, France, China, Algeria, Ghana and Japan.
It was learnt that most of the countries in Europe and the United States would be visited after the May 29 inauguration of his Presidency.
Outgoing President Olusegun Obasanjo had embarked on similar tour shortly after his election in 1999.
Leaders of the opposition parties were said to have intensified efforts in the international community to block recognition for the Yar’ Adua administration especially among the European Communities.
The EU electoral observers had submitted damning report on the propriety of the April 21, 2007 election which produced the President-elect.
In its report read to the media in Abuja last week, the Chief EU Election Observer, Max van den Berg, said �the elections have fallen far short of international and regional standards for democratic elections.
They were marred by poor organisation, lack of essential transparency, widespread procedural irregularities, significant evidence of fraud, particularly during the result collation process, voters� disenfranchisement at different stages of the process, lack of equal conditions for contestants and the numerous incidences of violence.�
�As a result, the election have not lived up to the hopes and expectation of the Nigerian people and the process cannot be considered to have been credible. This is more regrettable since they were held in an improved atmosphere in which freedoms of expression and assembly were broadly respected during campaigning.
�In order for citizens of Nigeria to have a trust and confidence in the political and electoral process, urgent remedial action by the relevant authorities and stakeholders is necessary to restore the conditions for credible and transparent elections to be held.�