The US Ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Syminton, on Friday, said his country has grave concern for a peaceful and prosperous democratic Nigeria, saying Nigeria should get the 2019 elections right in order not to disappoint those that looked up to it after the feat recorded in 2015, which saw the peaceful transfer of power, after incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan lost the election to President Muhammadu Buhari.
Syminton made known his anxiety when he visited the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, in Abuja. The US envoy, however, said he was optimistic that the right things were being done to ensure that peace and security reigned in the country both before and after the 2019 general elections. He said the US was aware of the security challenges confronting Nigeria and the efforts of the Police to tackle them. “I am here to give my support to the Nigeria Police Force,” he said.
Responding, the IGP said the police, under his watch, was tackling the security challenges in parts of the country, but pointed out that the challenges could not be tackled without the support of citizens. The IGP appealed for further assistance from the US in the area of technology to enhance the operational capacity of the Nigerian police force.
Symington had expressed similar sentiments when he visited the Police Command in Kaduna. “The State of Kaduna is an important place during this election. I am here to underscore a couple of key ideas. The first being that these elections are really about Nigerians, decided by Nigerians under its laws which will define the future of Nigeria. The election is also for others who have looked up to Nigeria’s example of democracy in the past especially if it would be as good as that of the elections of 2015.” He therefore said it was important for Nigerians to decide on the election’s credibility like they did in 2015, “so that its credit will be invested in democracy and freedom throughout West Africa and across the entire World.”
“There are other people who have pointed fingers at those who are saying the elections would come out wrong, saying the elections can be right if every citizen of Nigeria act on the understanding that they are individually responsible for anything they get from the polls,” he stressed. He noted that so far, there has been cheering commitments from President Buhari and other leading candidates contesting to rule the country, to ensure that every vote counts.
The US ambassador added that people must take responsibility for their actions, “first before God, second under the laws of the country, in the eyes of countrymen and lastly in the eyes of the world.”
Symington therefore encouraged all Nigerians to participate peacefully in the elections, to guarantee free, fair, and peaceful and a credible honest reflection of their choice.
The US and the UK recently announced repercussions, including visa restrictions, for election interference and election-related violence in the forthcoming polls in Nigeria. Both nations stated the elections were important not only for Nigeria but for Africa.
US Ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Syminton
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