Chris Smith, a member of the
United States house of representatives says the reports of the harassment of
opposition leaders are extremely concerning,
In a resolution to encourage
peaceful elections, Smith appealed to stakeholders to be committed to peace.
He said the elections are
critical to the future of the country and should therefor be free and fair.
“Reports of President Muhamadu
Buhari’s apparent crackdown on non-violent protests and harassment of
opposition leaders are extremely concerning, as well as the ongoing violence
that has been perpetrated by extremists, particularly in the Middle Belt
region,” he said.
“The violence must be stopped,
along with any subversion of the electoral process. The Nigerian government
must see to free and fair elections, which this resolution calls for.”
Karen Bassm, Steve Chabot who
co-chairs the Nigeria caucus, Elliot Engel, chairman of the house committee on
foreign affairs, are among those serving on the subcommittee on Africa.
“It is in the best interest of
the United States to maintain a strong bilateral relationship with a
politically stable, democratic, and economically sound Nigeria that can play a
leadership role in the region and the continent more broadly,” Bass said in a
statement.
“A credible, transparent and peaceful
election this coming February would further consolidate democratic gains
achieved over the last two decades. Nigerians are deeply committed to democracy
and ensuring transparency in electoral preparations, which would build public
confidence in the electoral process.
“This resolution sends the
message that the people of the United States will continue to stand with the
people of Nigeria in support of peace and democracy.”
For Engel, this legislation
reaffirms US’ long- standing commitment to strengthening democracy in Nigeria.
“In 2015, Nigeria became another
democratic role model for countries on the continent, showing that a credible
electoral process could result in the peaceful transition of power from an
incumbent to the opposition,” he said.
“Regardless of the outcome, my
hope for the upcoming presidential, gubernatorial, and National Assembly
elections is that Nigerian politicians, citizens, and the electoral commission
will build on the successes of 2015 to further consolidate democracy in
Nigeria.”
On his part, Chabot said there is
still work to be done to ensure the elections are transparent, peaceful, and
credible.
He said the resolution lays out
the necessary steps to achieve these goals, and urged Nigeria to conduct
elections free of violence.
On Thursday, the US had raised
concern over the handling of security in the elections.
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