British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing says the government of the United Kingdom is supporting Nigeria to ensure it delivers credible elections in 2023.
Laing made this known in Abuja to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), stressing that the UK will be monitoring the 2023 elections closely.
According to her, the UK government has been supporting the electoral process to ensure that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) gets the processes right and is optimistic that the country will deliver free, fair and credible polls in 2023 with the implementation of the new Electoral Act.
“What I have just said now- the advocacy; showing Nigerians that we care about your democracy and we are watching it.
“In a practical way, for many elections, we have been supporting INEC, your electoral body to ensure it has got the necessary systems and processes in place and each election, we have seen INEC improve its processes.
“We were the partner who supported the passing of the Electoral Act. It was a project that we funded through legal advisors to help you actually write that Electoral Act and looking at best practice globally.
“And it has been absolutely instrumental. So with the passing of that, then the possibility for electronic transmission of votes, what I am told by young people, they feel much more confident that their votes will count.
“So we provided that support; we support civil society, the YIAGA not too young to run campaign alongside U.S partners.
“We support that and we have been supporting women groups in particular to encourage young women, more women to try and stand for political office.
“Supporting INEC and voter education, encouraging voters to understand the importance of going out to vote; so we are involved in a number of different ways.
“And finally, I should say, we always say that each election, alongside our U.S partners, that we will have eyes on; we will be monitoring this election closely on ground and through other means.
“And if we understand that an individual has been involved in violence, either directly or through inciting violence, we can use our visa programme to ensure that that person is not allowed to travel to the UK.
“So we do have some negative Levers as well as our positive levers.”
Laing stressed that the visa sanctions on electoral offenders remained very effective to deter people against electoral violence, adding that the political parties are supportive of the policy.
“They absolutely do work. Obviously, I cannot talk about individual names, but I can assure you we have used it and the whole point of it is to deter people.
“The political parties tell me that they think it does work. In fact, the last election, both APC and the PDP told me they welcomed it.
“We’re completely neutral and we will apply this to whoever may be engaged in violence.”
Laing said that Nigeria’s democracy was critical to the African continent hence the need to set a pace, especially for the region, where democratic transitions are being threatened.
“So Nigeria is the biggest democracy in Africa and in a part of the world where democracy is backsliding.
“Looking at what is happening to Mali and Guinea and others, the coups, the presidents who are refusing to step down when their term ends.
“And Nigeria’s journey to democracy since 1999, you know, it’s been rocky at times, but you have continued on that pathway.
“And that sends a very, very important signal to Africa that if Nigeria can do it, the biggest democracy in Africa with all the challenges you have with 36 States and with the complexity of ethnicity and religion and so on.
“No election in the world is perfect but, nevertheless, the journey continues and I’m really hopeful in the next election, having a positive Electoral Act, Laing said.
