The United States has called on Independent National Electoral Commission to address technical hitches reportedly associated with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) before the governorship and state assembly elections on March 11.
Ned Price, spokesman for the Department of State, in a statement, said Nigerians were clearly within their rights to have such concerns and should have high expectations for their electoral processes in the just-concluded presidential poll.
“We join other international observers in urging INEC to improve in the areas that need the most attention ahead of the March 11 elections.
“We understand that many Nigerians and some of the parties have expressed frustration about the manner in which the process was conducted. They have also expressed frustration about the shortcomings of technical elements that were used for the first time in a presidential election cycle,’’ he said.
Price, however, advised the aggrieved presidential candidates and parties to use legal means to address their grievances and not resort to violence on inflammatory remarks.
“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.
“We call on all parties, candidates, and supporters to refrain from violence or inflammatory rhetoric at this critical time,” he said.
The US congratulated the president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and all political leaders following the declaration by the INEC on the results of the February 25 presidential election.
Price said the competitive election represented a new period for Nigerian politics and democracy, stressing that “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 characterised the campaign and the wishes of Nigeria’s voters.”
He also commended the active participation of civil society and the media for advancing electoral norms and political discourse on issues of importance to Nigeria’s citizens.
He said: “We also congratulate the Nigerian people, especially the large number of youths who are relatively new to the political process for demonstrating their strong commitment to their country’s democracy.”
