The United States government, through its embassy and consulate office in Nigeria, has said that its government does not in any way support any individual candidate or political party for the upcoming 2023 general election.
Rolf Olson, the Embassy Political Counselor, stated this during the Humphrey Alumni Association Annual Seminar 2022, held on Friday, November 18, 2022.
Olson, who spoke on behalf of Ambassador Mary Beth Leonard, stated clearly the position of the U.S. government ahead of the 2023 general election, noting that reports of endorsement of any candidate or political party by the United States government on social media a few weeks ago was not true.
He said,”The United States does not support any individual candidate or party in this election cycle or, for that matter, in any other upcoming election.”
The government’s interest is in ensuring that the processes leading up to the election and after the results are announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are free, fair, and credible.
“Our interest is in supporting credible and transparent elections that reflect the will of Nigerian voters in a process that is conducted peacefully. Full stop,” he emphasized.
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As political activities heat up, Olson agreed that recent events in the country are tilting toward more political violence and unpatriotic use of language, both of which are capable of jeopardising the country’s democratic future.
According to him, “We look to all Nigerians to reject the use of violence and inflammatory rhetoric before, during, and after election day. When we say “all” Nigerians, we mean all: politicians, candidates, students, leaders of religious, traditional, community, youth, and business organizations and entities—everyone has a role to play in this effort.”
However, seeing the number of damages caused by mischief makers, he advised that everyone who has a stake in the coming general election should try “to eliminate the use of violence and inflammatory rhetoric.”
He added further that in the past, the United States government had used visa denial as a punishment for anyone found guilty of compromising the future of the country’s democratic processes through the use of violence.
“Individuals seeking to undermine the democratic process, including through violence, may be found ineligible for visas to the United States,” he said.
Olson further promised to apply this measure to anyone seen to have engaged in the use of violence to undermine the democratic process.
Perhaps knowing how politically charged the atmosphere is, he advised that it is essential that candidates and their parties, as well as all of their supporters seeking to help them win elections, refrain from brash assertions of victory that suggest defeat is only possible if there is fraud.
“There is no true democratic election in which the outcome is foretold,” he noted, making reference to situations in the U.S. where certain candidates were confident of victory only to end up losing.
