Before the gubernatorial and state assembly elections on March 11, the United States has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to address technological issues allegedly related to the implementation of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS)....CONTINUE READING
According to a statement from the State Department’s spokesperson, Ned Price, Nigerians were certainly within their rights to express these concerns and should have great hopes for their country’s democratic procedures in the just concluded Presidential election.
“We urge INEC to make improvements in the areas that require the most attention in advance of the March 11 elections, in line with other international observers. ”
As far as we can tell, both some of the parties and a lot of Nigerians have expressed their displeasure with the way the process was handled.
They have also expressed their dissatisfaction with the technical aspects that were deployed for the first time during a presidential election cycle, he continued.
But Price counseled the displeased presidential candidates to use all available legal options to fix the anomaly.
“There are established procedures for resolving electoral disputes, and we strongly advise any candidate or party that wants to contest the results to do so.
In this crucial moment, the spokesperson urged all parties, candidates, and supporters to abstain from violence and incendiary language.
Furthermore, Price praised the media’s and civil society’s active involvement for promoting political dialogue on matters of public concern and for advancing electoral rules.
