Two political institutes in the
United States of America have expressed worries over the 2019 general
elections.
The institutes said Nigeria’s
persistent insecurity and the perception about the lack of neutrality on the
part of security forces could undermine voter participation and confidence in
the outcome of next year’s polls.
The US-based National Democratic
Institute (NDI) and the International Republican Institute (IRI) made their
fears known on Wednesday in Abuja at the unveiling the report of their 3rd
joint pre-election assessment mission to Nigeria.
Speaking, the lead delegate of
the joint assessment team, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said: “The delegation notes
the positive efforts being made to conduct more transparent, accountable and
inclusive elections, but confidence in the process and the outcome of the
elections could still be undermined.
“Irresponsible political rhetoric
threatens to weaken public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral institutions and
potentially incite violence. Widespread concerns about vote-buying, illegal
voting, and efforts to compromise the secrecy of the vote on election day could
lead to the rejection of election results or post-election violence.
“Further, given Nigeria’s
persistent insecurity, perceptions about the lack of neutrality on the part of
security forces could undermine participation in the election and confidence in
the outcome despite assurances to the contrary.”
Thomas-Greenfield, who is an
ex-US Assistant Secretary of State (African Affairs), said the pre-election
delegation have heard Nigerians express strong commitment to democracy and of
continued efforts to improve the country’s electoral process.
Against that backdrop, she stated
that if the 2019 general elections turned out credible and peaceful, it could
further consolidate the nation’s democratic institutions, and Nigeria would
continue to serve as an example for the African continent.
The lead delegate also warned:
“However, if the polls are not seen as sufficiently transparent, accountable,
and inclusive by Nigerians or marred by violence, it could undermine past
democratic gains, erode Nigerians’ trust units democratic system, and threaten democratic
progress across the region.”
She added that while past
elections have had their challenges, significant improvements in 2011 and 2015
generated high expectations for the quality of the 2019 electoral process.
“The presidential and
gubernatorial elections, in particular, we expect to be closely contested. More
than 70 candidates will be vying for the nation’s top office, including
incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC),
former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), a
number of new challengers, including women presidential candidates,” she said.
Speaking also, another member of
the delegation, Lewis Lucke, urged the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC,
to ensure its guidelines for the 2019 elections were consistent with the
existing legal framework and share these widely with political parties and
observers in a timely manner.
He appealed to security forces to
go above and beyond to assure the public that they are professional and
neutral.
Lucke, an ex-US Ambassador to
Swaziland, said: “Negotiating and signing agreements are just the first step;
political parties and their candidates must also hold party members and
supporters accountable for violations.
“Political parties and candidates
should also run issues-based campaigns, abstain from using and openly condemn
tactics that incite violence, such as hate-speech and disinformation; and
actively discourage voter inducement, such as vote-buying and other coercive
tactics.
“All candidates should publicly
commit to respecting the outcome of elections and to settle electoral disputes
in the courts. This commitment will reduce tensions in the lead up to the elections
and deter violence when election results are counted and released to the
public.”
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