VOICE AIR MEDIA

THE British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, on Saturday, said the United Kingdom will support Nigeria to ensure credible elections in 2023.

Laing, in a chat with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said the UK would monitor the elections closely and expressed optimism that Nigeria would deliver free and fair elections in 2023.

Laing said the UK government had been supporting the electoral process in Nigeria by ensuring that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) got the processes right and work with Civil Society Organisations to carry out advocacy.

She said: “What I have just said now – the advocacy – is showing Nigerians that we care about their 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 in 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 practices globally.

“And it has been absolutely instrumental. So, with the passing of that, then the possibility for electronic transmission of votes, the young people 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 offices.

“We are supporting voter education, encouraging voters to understand the importance of going out to vote. So we are involved in a number of different ways.

“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 the 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.

The British envoy described Nigeria’s democracy as critical to the growth of democratic rule in the African continent, hence, the need for the country’s leaders to set the pace, especially for the sub-region where democratic transitions are being threatened. CONTINUE READING…