The United States has called on the National Assembly to pass a legislation to establish an Electoral Offences Tribunal to dispense justice in all cases of electoral malpractice, ahead of the 2015 general election.
This is as it disclosed that it provided $5 million in assistance to Nigeria on activities focused on good governance in 2013.
The US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said these at the opening of the US-Nigeria Bi-National Commission in Abuja yesterday where she noted that the 2015 polls should be more transparent and more credible than that of 2011 as Nigeria cannot afford to have elections or general governance slide back in terms of peacefulness, fairness, transparency, or credibility.
“We stand with Nigerians who say loudly that they will not accept crooked tactics, electoral tampering, over-heated rhetoric, vote selling or buying, or violence. I have heard my Nigerian friends say repeatedly that anyone who engages in such election chicanery should be held accountable. I encourage Nigeria’s National Assembly to pass legislation enacting an Electoral Offences Tribunal legislation that President Jonathan himself proposed when he was vice president,” she said.
Thomas-Greenfield added that if Nigeria’s security agencies are allowed to do their jobs professionally like they did during the Anambra governorship poll, the elections would be safely held in states with gubernatorial elections this year and in 2015.
“Credible elections are the responsibility of every citizen,” she added and urged voters to vote according to their conscience and not sell their votes, which would amount to selling their future and the future prosperity of their children.
“You must hold your politicians, your electoral commission, your judiciary, your media, your political parties, your security services, and one another accountable. You must vote according to your conscience. Anyone who witnesses fraud must peacefully report it to the INEC and the Nigerian judicial system for resolution.
Nothing justifies violence. Most importantly, Nigerians should vote. The ballot is your means to select your leaders and determine your futures,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
Speaking on corruption, she added that the US also provided training and mentoring for financial investigators and prosecutors from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria in 2013.
The envoy expressed the readiness of the US to continue to work with the EFCC and all anti-corruption partners.
“At the request of your Minister of Petroleum of Resources, we sent a delegation in December to discuss oil-bunkering and revenue diversion with members of your government and all levels of society and to hear what Nigeria can do to fight these issues. Our delegation came up with some ideas of what can be done. We look forward to sharing them with you,” she added.
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