As the presidential election approaches, the diplomatic missions of the United States, Australia, Japan, Norway, Canada, and the United Kingdom in Nigeria have all expressed their absolute commitment to supporting any and all initiatives that will ensure that the election is free, fair, and devoid of violence.
A joint statement seen by Nairametrics emphasized the importance of the general elections in a safe, fair, and credible manner for the sake of democratic stability and consolidation. It urged all actors to prevent tension and violence during the electoral process and calls on officials to respect citizens’ human and democratic rights.
The statement also condemns any actions that undermine the peaceful and transparent conduct of the election. Part of the statement said:
- “We believe it is vital for Nigeria’s stability and democratic consolidation that the process is conducted and concluded safely, fairly and credibly. We encourage all actors to intervene proactively to calm any tensions and avoid any violence in the periods before, during and after the elections.
- “We call on all officials at federal and local levels in Nigeria to respect the human and democratic rights of its citizens. We strongly condemn any actions that undermine the peaceful and transparent conduct of the electoral process.”
A stand against violence: They also demanded that political parties uphold electoral laws and institutions and take a strong stance against any acts of violence and hate speech by their supporters.
To this end, they requested that Nigeria’s security services do everything possible to safeguard that procedure and stop and deter attacks against INEC buildings, resources, and employees.
- “We call on all officials, including the law enforcement authorities, to ensure a safe and conducive environment for the exercise of public freedoms – including the freedom of opinion and expression, the freedom of peaceful assembly and the freedom of association…Law enforcement authorities should remain visibly neutral and respond in a proportionate manner to any election-related incidents”.
candidates to live up to the Peace accord: The group urged all presidential candidates and political parties to honour their commitments under the second Peace Agreement by accepting the election results as reported by INEC and challenging them if need be, through the right legal processes.
Regardless, the diplomatic missions of the United States, Australia, Japan, Norway, Canada, and the United Kingdom expressed their hope that this year’s elections will help to strengthen Nigeria’s democratic tradition and expressed satisfaction that the country has celebrated 24 years of democratic progress since 1999.