US: Nigeria’s Election Must Hold as Scheduled

The United States Government on Sunday said Nigeria’s general election billed for next month must hold as scheduled because it is one exercise that is both critical to the survival of the country and reaffirm its place in the world map. The US Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry, who said this at a news conference in Lagos, also had separate meetings with both President Goodluck Jonathan and the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, where they discussed the need for a violence-free election and the nations’ bilateral relations. While the meeting with Jonathan was said to have held at the State House in Lagos, the one with Buhari was held at the official residence of the US Consul General in Ikoyi, Lagos, the same venue as the news conference yesterday evening. Kerry, who repeatedly harped on the need to eschew any form of violence, also noted that for Nigerians to know how seriously the US government took the issue of election violence, perpetrators would be ineligible for the US visa as a new measure against every anti-democratic tendency. “The fact is that one of the best ways to fight back Boko Haram and similar groups is by protecting the peaceful, credible and transparent elections that are essential to any thriving democracy. And certainly, it is essential to the largest democracy in Africa. “It’s imperative that these elections happen on time as scheduled. There have been improvements over past elections and a need to set new standards for this democracy. That means that Nigerians do not only have to reject violence but they have to actually promote peace,” he said. The US Secretary of State, reading the riot act to violence perpetrators, said: “So, let me be clear: anyone who participates in plans or calls for widespread or systematic violence against the civilian population must be held accountable including being ineligible for an American visa. “Violence has no place in democratic elections and I can guarantee you that the perpetrators of such violence will not be welcomed in the United States of America. Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation and one of the world’s largest democracies. It is blessed with some of the planet’s most valuable and abundant natural resources.” 

ThisDay, (Online)