By James Simons-
The international community have vowed to follow the campaigns and election process of Nigeria closely. A total of 22 countries will be closely monitoring the elections in Nigeria to ensure violence is avoided at all costs, as well as rigging.
The current president, Mohammadu Buhari, has reportedly already began his campaign for the elections scheduled to start in February next year. At the heart of his campaign is corruption, a problem that has blighted Nigerians for years with no likely end in sight. The rich oil nation is suffering from serious economic deprivation of a level that sees the average Nigerian suffering with low standards of living. Those who are well off are often really rich and wealthy, as they overlook the abject levels of poverty suffered by vast numbers of the population.
A joint statement from the group read: ‘The elections is for the Nigerian people to decide. Our concern is to see a process leading to free, fair, transparent and peaceful elections”, a joint statement from signatories of the several countries committed to ensuring a safe and fair election in one of the world’s most dangerous countries for elections.
Countries that have expressed concern about the elections include France, Germany, Australia, Austria and Bulgaria. Others were Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden.
The British government says it aims to see transparent campaigns and urges all voters to use their democratic right and vote. We are particularly keen to see greater participation of women, youth and people living with disabilities. A statement by the British Government in relations to the upcoming elections read:
”We urge all involved – political and non-political actors – to refrain from using hate speech and take a firm stance against violence. The 2015 Peace Accords played an important role in that regard and we welcome new efforts towards that end”.
Widespread incidents of intimidation, interference and vote-buying marred the last gubernatorial elections. The British government said they were also perturbed by irregularities and violence during party primaries, and noted with particular concern that several women candidates were disenfranchised.
”We reiterate the importance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as it fulfils its constitutional role. INEC must be allowed to operate free from outside pressure and intimidation, and in turn must demonstrate full neutrality and professionalism. We encourage that adequate funding is swiftly facilitated for INEC and supporting institutions, and we hope to see the entry into force of improvements to the Electoral Act as soon as possible”.
SECURITY AGENCIES
The countries have drawn particular attention to the fundamental role of the security agencies in providing a safe and secure environment for the Nigerian people to exercise their democratic rights. It is vital that security agencies act, and are seen to act, in an impartial manner that maintains the high standards of professional conduct.
They have also strongly supported the principle of media freedom and the vital role the independent media plays in ensuring informed public debate.
”We also stress the importance of balanced, neutral and non-defamatory coverage, the group stated.
At the beginning of the 2019 electoral campaign, we would like to reiterate our strong commitment to support democracy in Nigeria. We encourage Nigeria and its people to consolidate and deepen democracy, building on the standards set in 2015”.