U.S Shouldn’t Rush To Embrace Nigerian Election Results — Senator Risch
United States Republican Senator, Jim Risch, (Idaho), has berated the United States Government over its “rush to embrace” the results of the February 25 Presidential election held in Nigerioa.
The United States through its State Department Spokesman, Ned Price congratulated Nigeria and Tinubu over the succes of the the polls.
Although, Price acknowledged the discontent among some Nigerians over the validity of the results but said the competitive election represents a new period for Nigerian politics and democracy.
“The United States congratulates the people of Nigeria, president-elect Tinubu and all the political leaders.
“The United States congratulates the people of Nigeria, President-elect Tinubu, and all political leaders following the declaration by Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the results of the February 25 presidential election.
“This competitive election represents a new period for Nigerian politics and democracy. Each of the top three candidates was the leading vote-getter in 12 states, a remarkable first in Nigeria’s modern political era, reflecting the diversity of views that characterized the campaign and the wishes of Nigeria’s voters.
“We understand that many Nigerians and some of the parties have expressed frustration about the manner in which the process was conducted and the shortcomings of technical elements that were used for the first time in a presidential election cycle.
“Nigerians are clearly within their rights to have such concerns and should have high expectations for their electoral processes. We join other international observers in urging INEC to improve in the areas that need the most attention ahead of the March 11 gubernatorial elections.
“There are well-established mechanisms in place for the adjudication of electoral disputes, and we encourage any candidate or party seeking to challenge the outcome to pursue redress through those mechanisms”, a statement by the States Department Spokesman read.
However, Risch, a ranking Senator and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in a statement on Thursday, noted, that “The ongoing electoral process in Nigeria is widely viewed as deeply flawed by election observers and many Nigerians”.
Risch said “It is disappointing to see the administration rush to embrace the result while the full picture of what occurred during this electoral process is yet to be seen.
“I’ve expressed similar concerns related to other areas of our relationship with the Nigerian Government. I worry this rush to judgement will undermine our ability to be an effective partner to all Nigerians, especially given their long-standing desire for democracy.
“With Nigeria heading into state-level elections in just a few days, it is important that the United States be more concerned with supporting the Nigerian people and their democratic aspirations than embracing the Nigerian Government.”
-diplomatic diary
