The United Kingdom has promised to take action against those who engaged in or incited electoral violence during the March 18, 2023 governorship election.
This was disclosed in a statement by the British Commission in Abuja on Wednesdays.
The statement reads, “These are positive markers to build on for future elections. However, there were notable points of concern. Members of our observation mission personally observed violence, and voters’ suppression in numerous voting locations. We witnessed and received credible reports from other observer missions and civil society organisations of votes-buying and voters’ intimidation, the destruction and hijacking of election materials and the general disruption of the process in numerous states, including Lagos, Enugu and Rivers.
‘It also said its teams observed improvements around elections logistics by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the governorship elections, particularly when compared to the presidential elections.
“These are positive markers to build on for future elections. However, there were notable points of concern. Members of our observation mission personally observed violence, and voters’ suppression in numerous voting locations. We witnessed and received credible reports from other observer missions and civil society organisations of votes-buying and voters’ intimidation, the destruction and hijacking of election materials and the general disruption of the process in numerous states, including Lagos, Enugu and Rivers.
“In addition, we observed incidents of harassment of journalists. Freedom of speech and a free press are crucial for a healthy democracy, and journalists must be able to go about their work without being threatened.
“The UK is concerned by the use of inflammatory ethno religious language by some public and political figures. We call on all leaders not just to distance themselves from this kind of language, but to prevent those who speak on their behalf from doing so in this way.
“It is a testament to their commitment to democracy that many Nigerians were prepared to vote despite being faced with intimidation and hostility.
“The UK Minister of State for Development and Africa, Andrew Mitchell, said, on February 21, that the UK is prepared to take action against those who engage in or incite electoral violence and other anti-democratic behaviours, and action could include preventing people from obtaining UK visas or imposing sanctions under our human rights sanctions regime. We can confirm that we are collating relevant information, with a view to taking action against some individuals.”
