The U.S. has described Nigeria’s 2019 general elections are “a critical test” for the country, the ECOWAS sub-region and the entire continent.
U.S. Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, Tibor Nagy, stated this in his testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Sub-Committee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organisations.
The title of the hearing is ‘Nigeria at a Crossroad: The Upcoming Elections’, according to the transcript made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in New York by the U.S. Department of State, on Friday.
Nagy said: “The Department of State agrees with the view that Nigeria’s February 2019 national elections are a critical test.
“The conduct of the elections could have significant consequences for the democratic trajectory of Nigeria, West Africa, and the entire continent”.
The U.S. envoy said the conduct of the 2015 Nigerian elections, although by no means perfect, was a step forward for Nigeria’s democracy.
That contest resulted in Nigeria’s first-ever democratic transfer of power to a non-incumbent party, thereby increasing capacity and improving conduct of Nigerian democratic institutions and election bodies, he said.
“In advance of the 2019 elections, the U.S. government continues to support the Nigerian goal of free, fair, transparent, and peaceful elections that reflect the will of the Nigerian people.
“Through diplomacy, robust public engagement including with Nigeria’s youth and civil society, and democracy and governance programmes, we are helping the country to strengthen its democratic institutions and processes.
“The U.S. does not support any single candidate. We support a democratic process that is free, fair, transparent, peaceful, and reflects the will of the Nigerian people,” he said.
“Earlier this year, President Trump welcomed President Buhari to the White House and conveyed our expectations for a credible election.
“Two Secretaries of State, USAID Administrator Green, Deputy Secretary of State Sullivan, and many others have either traveled to Nigeria or met with senior Nigerian officials in the U.S. to underscore our commitment to free, fair, transparent, and peaceful Nigerian elections
in the last 12 months.”
Nagy said he recently returned from Nigeria as part of his first trip to the African continent, and conveyed the U.S. expectations and concerns for the elections in person.
