Ms Catriona Laing, UK High Commissioner to Nigeria
UK collating information on Nigerians indicted for electoral offences – High Commission
United Kingdom High Commission in Nigeria has disclosed that it is collating relevant information regarding taking action against Nigerians indicted for electoral offences, including other anti-democratic behaviours and action.
Giving its position on last Saturday’s governorship and State Assembly election conducted across the country by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the High Commission said its decision based on what its teams observed in several states of the country.
The High Commission’s report titled; ‘UK Statement on Gubernatorial and State House of Assembly elections,’ said its position is informed by report of its observer teams sent to Benue Enugu, Lagos, Oyo and Rivers states t monitor the March 18 election.
According to the UK Mission, while it observed ‘improvements around election logistics by INEC during the gubernatorial elections, particularly when compared to the Presidential elections,’ there were, however, ‘notable points of concern.’
The High Commission which hailed INEC for ensuring that more polling units opened on time, added that ‘there was greater evidence of BVAS and IREV working and results uploaded in real time from polling units and collation centres,’ which it stressed ‘are positive markers to build on for future elections.’
However, the High Commission said members of its observer teams ‘personally observed violence and voter suppression in numerous voting locations,’ adding further that it ‘witnessed and received credible reports from other observer missions and civil society organisations of vote buying and voter intimidation, the destruction and hijacking of election materials and the general disruption of the process in numerous states including Lagos, Enugu, and Rivers.’
“In addition, we observed incidents of harassment of journalist. Freedom of speech and a free press are crucial for a healthy democracy, and journalism must be able to go about their work without being threatened.
“The UK is concerned by the use of inflammatory ethno-religious language by some public and political figures. We call on all leaders not just to distance themselves from this kind of language, but to prevent those who speak on their behalf from doing so in this way,” the report stated.
The UK, therefore, warned that it is ‘prepared to take action against those who engage in or incite electoral violence and other anti-democratic behaviours, and action could include preventing people from obtaining UK visas or imposing sanctions under the human rights sanctions regime.’
“We can confirm that we are collating relevant information, with a view to taking action against some individuals,” the report quoted the UK Government as stating.
However, the British Government reiterated its call to ‘any party or individual who wishes to challenge the process or outcome of the elections to do so peacefully and through the appropriate legal channels.’
The UK government assured that it ‘will be observing the course of legal challenges made.’
It be recalled that following the dispute arising from the February 25 Presidential elections, four political parties have so far formally filed petitions at the Presidential Elections Tribunal (PET) challenging the result declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which returned the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Bola Tinubu, as President-elect.
The petitioners seeking nullification of Tinubu’s emergence as President-elect include; Solomon Okangbuan of the Action Alliance (AA) and Chichi Ojei of the Allied People’s Movement (APM).
Others are; Labour Party’s Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
