The United States (US) Ambassador to Nigeria,
Mary Beth Leonard, has said that the just concluded presidential elections in
Nigeria, especially, the conduct of the polls, did not meet up with
expectations.
She shared her opinion in a piece made available on Sunday, days
after the US Department of States observed shortcomings in the technical
elements (Bimodal Verification and Accreditation System and INEC Result Viewing
Portal ) that were used for the first time in a presidential election cycle in
Nigeria.
Recall that the European Union Election Observation Mission to
Nigeria 2023 had said INEC was not transparent at the early and critical stage
of the presidential election process with regard to the function of the Bimodal
Verification Accreditation System (BVAS) and real-time uploading of results.
Nevertheless, INEC went ahead to declare Bola Tinubu of the All
Progressive Congress (APC), the winner of the presidential polls, paving the
way for litigations against the electoral process, by aggrieved parties.
Leonard believes there is still room for improvement on the part
of INEC and she advised the electoral umpire to fix the problems identified
with the presidential polls and ensure it does not repeat during the
governorship elections in March 11.
“The United States is no stranger to election-related
controversy and conflict. As much as it can be unsatisfying to end an electoral
process in a courtroom, in a constitutional democracy bound by the rule of law
that is where electoral conflicts may appropriately conclude.
“It is clear that the electoral process as a whole on February
25 failed to meet Nigerians’ expectations. As I said numerous times prior to the
elections, Nigeria has accomplished much in just the two-plus decades since the
return to democracy, and a gradual improvement in the quality of its elections
in that time constitutes one of those accomplishments.
“We recognize that Nigerians want that positive trend to
continue, including through the use of new technology intended to make the
process of reporting results more transparent. We thus reiterate our call on
INEC to address promptly the challenges that can be resolved ahead of the March
11 gubernatorial elections, and to undertake a broader review of the problems
that transpired during the last elections and what can be done to fix them. In
all cases, INEC should share with the Nigerian public information about the
actions it is taking,” she stated.
The ambassador commended the presidential candidates of the
Labour Party (LP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi and Atiku
Abubakar respectively, for seeking redress in court.
“The people of Nigeria
demonstrated their dedication to democracy on February 25, but there are many
angry and frustrated Nigerians as well as many who are celebrating victories
they believe were hard-fought and well-earned.
“In the coming days, it will be important for the future of this
country that Nigerians not let their differences divide them, and that the
legally established process for resolving challenges to the election be allowed
to take its course.
“We commend Mr. Obi and Mr. Abubakar for their recent statements
committing to take this path, and Mr. Tinubu, who INEC declared the
president-elect under Nigeria’s electoral framework, for acknowledging their
right to do so,” Leonard added.
Furthermore, the diplomat observed an improvement in Nigeria’s
democracy, citing the records of the four frontline political parties in the
presidential and national assembly elections.
She lauded the Nigerian people for playing a huge role in the
elections.
The statement partly read, “I also want to highlight some of the
remarkable results from this past election that show how Nigeria’s political
landscape is indisputably changing. In more than half of the states – 20 – the
winning candidate represented a different party than that of the incumbent
governor.
“Twelve of these states are led by APC governors. For the first
time, four presidential candidates won at least one state, and the top three
each won 12 states based on these initial results.
“In the National Assembly elections, even with results still
incomplete, we already know that changes are afoot: seven sitting governors lost
in their attempts to win election to the Assembly; the Labor Party has won at
least seven seats in the Senate; the NNPP has won at least 11 seats in the
House of Representatives.
“The Nigerian people have made clear their desire for responsive
and inclusive governance, and we strongly support their ability to express that
desire.
“The United States and Nigeria are the two largest presidential
democracies in the world, and longtime partners. As Nigeria goes through these
next weeks and months, we stand with you.”
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