THE United States (US) has threatened sanction on masterminds of violence and voter intimidation during the March 18 governorship and state assembly elections in Nigeria.
In a statement posted on its website, the US Consulate in Nigeria said it “witnessed some of the these incidents first hand” in Lagos, kano and other states.
“The United States is deeply troubled by the disturbing acts of violent voter intimidation and suppression that took place during those polls.
“The use of ethnically charged language before, during, and after the gubernatorial election in Lagos was particularly concerning,” the statement said.
While calling on the Nigerian authorities to bring those involved in intimidating voters and suppressing the voting process to justice, the US Embassy threatened sanctions on those found guilty of the acts.
“The United States likewise will consider all available actions, including additional visa restrictions on individuals believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic process in Nigeria.”
The Consulate commended “all Nigerian political actors, religious and community leaders, youth, and citizens who have chosen to reject and speak out against such violence and inflammatory language, affirming Nigerians’ commitment to and respect for the democratic process”.
The statement urged those challenging the election results to go through the established legal processes “which must not be interfered with”.
However, the US observed operational and technical improvement on the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections during the state polls.
“Polling stations generally opened on time and most results were visible on an electronic viewing platform in a timely manner,” the statement said.
Earlier, The ICIR reported how several election observers deployed to monitor the March 18 gubernatorial and state assembly elections across states in Nigeria suffered one form of assault or the other.
The report identified security operatives, political thugs and a federal lawmaker as some of the perpetrators of the assaults.
Sinafi Omanga is a multimedia journalist and researcher with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. He has a keen interest in humanitarian reporting, social justice, and environment.
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@OmangaSinafi
Email:
somanga@icirnigeria.org