US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mrs Mary Beth Leonard
U.S envoy admits ‘electoral process failed to meet Nigerians’ expectations’
United States Mission in Nigeria has reiterated its government’s earlier call to President Muhammadu Buhari and on the country’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to promptly address the mounting challenges resulting from the disputed February 25 Presidential elections so that they are resolved ahead of the March 11 governorship and state House of Assembly polls.
The U.S Mission in Nigeria which also concurred with Nigerians, as well as, international election observer groups on the process and conduct of last Saturday’s polls, stated further, saying; ‘it is clear that the electoral process as a whole on February 25 failed to meet Nigerians’ expectations.’
It would be recalled that last Thursday, the US Government, through its State Department, in a statement signed by the country’s Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, Mr. Ned Price, while describing the February 25 poll as ‘a new period for Nigerian politics and democracy, said it aligns with other international observers in urging INEC to improve in the areas that need the most attention ahead of the March 11 gubernatorial elections.
“We understand that many Nigerians and some of the parties have expressed frustration about the manner in which the process was conducted and the shortcomings of technical elements that were used for the first time in a presidential election cycle. Nigerians are clearly within their rights to have such concerns and should have high expectations for their electoral processes. We join other international observers in urging INEC to improve in the areas that need the most attention ahead of the March 11 gubernatorial elections.
“There are well-established mechanisms in place for the adjudication of electoral disputes, and we encourage any candidate or party seeking to challenge the outcome to pursue redress through those mechanisms. We call on all parties, candidates, and supporters to refrain from violence or inflammatory rhetoric at this critical time.
Also reacting to the Nigerian presidential election results, the US Ambassador and head of the country’s mission in Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, in a statement titled; ‘THE ELECTIONS OF FEBRUARY 25,’ released, Sunday, restated her government position on Nigeria’s just-concluded elections, insisting that legally established processes must be adopted in resolving the disputes arising from the poll by all concerned.
The envoy who noted that there ‘there are many angry and frustrated Nigerians as well as many who are celebrating victories they believe were hard-fought and well-earned,’ advised ‘for the future of this country, Nigerians should 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.
“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 said.
The US ambassador, however, highlighted that ‘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,” she stated.
The US envoy further stated that based on the desire by the Nigerian people for responsive and inclusive governance, her country ‘strongly supports 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,” Ms Leonard said.
