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Nigeria's 2015 General Election Our Concern – United State

Published

11 years ago

March 2, 2014

The US delegation, led by US Assistant Secretary of State for
African Affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, met for two days with
high ranking Nigerian officials led by the Permanent Secretary in the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Martin Uhomoibhi.
The theme of the meeting, “Transparency, Good Governance and
Democracy in Nigeria,” is apt reflection of the concerns of many,
including Nigerians and non-Nigerians alike, on the implications of
the on-going struggle amongst politicians for democratic succession,
corruption, security and the economy.
This also explains why the Chairman of the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, was
invited to make a presentation on the electoral body’s preparations for
the 2015 general elections.
The US envoy, in her remarks, captured the concerns of her home
government, saying, “We will be discussing ways we can partner to
make Nigeria’s upcoming 2015 elections the most peaceful, free, fair
and credible in its history. We will also exchange ideas on how we
can arrest the malignancy of financial corruption that eats away at
Nigeria’s democracy and economy”.
Greenfield further narrowed her government’s concerns with regard to
the 2015 general elections to the imperative of a more substantive
improvement on the 2011 general elections, locally and internationally
adjudged to have been better than previous elections.
It was therefore not surprising that issues of electoral malfeasance,
with the potential to make or mar the republic, dominated her speech.
The seeming over heating of the polity months away from the declared
dates of the elections at the back of her mind, she said, “Nigeria’s
future is full of promise and opportunity and cannot afford to have
elections or general governance slide back in terms of peacefulness,
fairness, transparency, or credibility.
“No matter how high the political stakes, we are dedicated to the
proposition that the 2015 elections will be more transparent, more
credible, and less violent than in 2011. We stand with Nigerians who
say loudly that they will not accept crooked tactics, electoral
tampering, overly heated rhetoric, vote selling or buying, or violence.
I have heard my Nigerian friends say repeatedly that anyone who
engages in such election chicanery should be held accountable. They
are right.”
One of the safeguards against electoral vices, as often harped on by the
INEC boss, Jega, is the setting up of an Electoral Offences
Tribunal, which, in the view of Greenfield, will substantially address
the concerns by many that people often get away with serious breaches
of electoral laws.
On this, she passed the ball to the National Assembly, presently
engaged in the processes of the amendment of the Constitution as well
as the Electoral Act.
The US envoy therefore called on the National Assembly, “to pass
legislation enacting an Electoral Offences Tribunal—a legislation that
President Jonathan himself proposed when he was Vice President”.
“We hope that our continued electoral assistance will give the utmost
support to the Nigerian people because they deserve nothing less than
elections that reflect their will”.
She also had a word for the citizenry largely perceived as most times
being complicit in the afflictions and misfortunes of Nigeria’s electoral
process, insisting, “Credible elections are the responsibility of every
citizen, every voter. Your right to vote is yours to watch over”.
The envoy added, “The choice is yours to decide not to sell your vote,
not to intimidate others, and not to engage in violence around elections.
Selling your vote will put money in your pocket for only a day, but
ultimately, you are selling your future and your children’s future right
to freedom and prosperity. You must hold your politicians, your
electoral commission, your judiciary, your media, your political
parties, your security services, and each other accountable.
You must vote according to your conscience. Anyone who witnesses
fraud must peacefully report it to the INEC and the Nigerian
judicial system for resolution. Nothing justifies violence. Most
importantly, Nigerians should vote. The ballot is your means to select
your leaders and determine your futures.”
Greenfield also had kind words for Nigeria’s security apparatus,
particularly its showing in Anambra , during the governorship
election, saying, “We applaud the Nigerian security services for
faithfully executing their complex operational orders on Election Day
to ensure the protection of voters and poll workers in the November 16
Anambra State elections.
We have confidence that if the Nigerian police, military, and other
security services are allowed to do their jobs as professionally as they
did in Anambra, the elections can be held safely in Ekiti and Osun
States and, in 2015, at every polling unit in Nigeria, including in the
Delta, the Middle Belt, and the states of Borno, Yobe, and
Adamawa.”