The United States (US) Government has warned that it would sanction anyone who interferes with the democratic process or instigates violence in the 2023 general elections in Nigeria.
Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, Rolf Olson, who gave the warning at the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Alumni Association Annual Seminar 2022, said that it would apply sanctions, including visa restrictions, on those found culpable of election rigging.
The country also threw its weight behind the decision of Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), to deploy the Bi-modal Voter Accreditation System, (BVAS), and electronic transmission of results for the poll.
Noting that the BVAS and the electronic transmission of vote results sheets are to ensure the integrity of the elections, Olson maintained that the US had no candidate in the elections.
Recall that the US government had imposed visa restrictions on some individuals for their actions during the November 2019 Kogi and Bayelsa States elections and in the run-up to the September and October 2020 Edo and Ondo States elections. Although the US did not reveal the identities of those banned, it said the decision reflected its commitment to strengthening democracy in Nigeria.
In his remarks, the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus, Okoye, disclosed that 176, 846 BVAS would be deployed to all polling units in the country. He, however, said the Commission would make available at least two BVAS devices as back up to each of the 8,809 registration areas.
While lamenting that the Commission’s platforms were always subject to attacks by political actors and faceless individuals and groups using hackers, Okoye said INEC was faced with the huge challenge of protecting its platforms and assets ahead of the 2023 elections.
The theme of the Seminar, which was held yesterday in Abuja, was: Promoting Electoral Integrity in Nigeria: Prospects and Challenges.
