United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Leonard, has expressed confidence in the ability of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct transparent and credible elections.
The ambassador said this in a statement on Friday, titled, ‘The elections are almost here, it’s up to you to choose your next leaders’.
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She called on all registered Nigerians to vote their conscience in the forthcoming elections.
Leonard noted;
Last year, President (Muhammadu) Buhari and key stakeholders signed the Electoral Act 2022, strengthening Nigeria’s electoral system and cementing Nigeria as a democratic leader in a region that has been experiencing backsliding.
The US government applauds that Act, which formally granted INEC the ability to use BVAS – the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System – to accredit voters and transmit election results electronically. This type of system is a proven method to significantly reduce the potential for electoral fraud. These developments are just some of the reasons the United States has confidence in Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission’s ability to organise and conduct credible and transparent elections.
The ambassador urged political parties and candidates to live up to their pledge in the peace accord they signed, where they pledged to accept the results of the elections as announced by INEC.
She added;
As part of the US commitment to robust and transparent elections, I want to reiterate that we have taken steps to impose visa restrictions against those responsible, or complicit in undermining the democratic process in the past, and remain willing to do so again going forward.
