Correct Errors Before March 11 Governorship Elections, US Tells INEC

Posted by Nwa Diokpa Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria Thursday, March 2nd, 2023

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The United States has congratulated Nigerians and the president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu over the successful conduct of the Saturday, February 25, 2023, presidential election.

This was contained in a statement issued by the spokesperson for the State Department, Ned Price, who also tasked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to address all the problems observed in the exercise before the March 11 governorship and state house of assembly elections.

According to Price, Nigerians were within their rights to raise such concerns and should have high expectations for their electoral process.

The statement read: “The United States congratulates the people of Nigeria, President-elect Tinubu, and all political leaders following the declaration by Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the results of the February 25 presidential election. This competitive election represents a new period for Nigerian politics and democracy. Each of the top three candidates was the leading vote-getter in 12 states, a remarkable first in Nigeria’s modern political era, reflecting the diversity of views that characterized the campaign and the wishes of Nigeria’s voters.

“We understand that many Nigerians and some of the parties have expressed frustration about the manner in which the process was conducted and the shortcomings of technical elements that were used for the first time in a presidential election cycle. Nigerians are clearly within their rights to have such concerns and should have high expectations for their electoral processes. We join other international observers in urging INEC to improve in the areas that need the most attention ahead of the March 11 gubernatorial elections.

“There are well-established mechanisms in place for the adjudication of electoral disputes, and we encourage any candidate or party seeking to challenge the outcome to pursue redress through those mechanisms. We call on all parties, candidates, and supporters to refrain from violence or inflammatory rhetoric at this critical time.

“We commend the active participation of civil society and the media for advancing electoral norms and political discourse on issues of importance to citizens. We note with concern reports that numerous members of the media were attacked during the course of the election, and we urge the government, security forces, political actors, and all citizens to respect the media’s critical role by refraining from any damaging acts against them and ensuring accountability for such acts when they do occur. We also congratulate the Nigerian people, especially the large number of youths who are relatively new to the political process, for demonstrating their strong commitment to democracy.”