US TO DEPLOY SECURITY EXPERTS FOR NIGERIA’S POLLS …Commends Jonathan, Buhari over ‘Abuja Accord’ The United States of America (USA) yesterday said it has concluded plans to deploy its election security experts to assist Nigeria ensure that next month’s general elections are conducted in a peaceful atmosphere. Briefing journalists in Washington, the deputy spokesperson, Marie Harf, said the US believes in Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s ability to conduct free and fair elections. Harf said: “US government has been working with the Nigerian government, particularly the Independent National Electoral Commission, which, I think, is a separate body handling the elections, and civil society to emphasise the need for a clear and well-coordinated election security plan, and offer assistance specifically on that front. “Obviously, it’s the responsibility of the government of Nigeria to protect and enfranchise its citizens. But a key pillar of our elections engagement strategy is the importance of enfranchising displaced voters. I know the INEC has embraced that point. “They understand the importance of it. We have urged the Nigerian government to provide adequate security, improve security coordination and make arrangements for these internally displaced persons to be able to vote where they are. “In terms of the U.S support, a U.S government election security expert had visited Nigeria in the fall, and has been consulting with Nigerian counterparts in the intervening months, and will embed with INEC for a week in mid-January, and then return for election day in February to help on the engagement side. “Look, this is a challenge. We have talked about this in other countries which have had elections in pretty significant security-challenging environments. But we are assisting. We are offering it; certainly, yes.” On Boko Haram, Harf said efforts are going on to ensure that the activities of the sect become a thing of the past. “It’s primarily the government of Nigeria’s responsibility to take the steps it needs to protect its citizens. We know this is a very significant threat and a very challenging one for Nigerians. That’s why we have offered to work with them; we have done some joint training; we have a security cooperation relationship. “But more broadly in the region, we are working with other partners like Cameroon, Chad and others to fight this threat, because it is a regional threat,” she stated. Also yesterday, the US government commended President Goodluck Jonathan and General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) for signing the peace treaty to ensure a violence-free election. Jonathan, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s candidate, Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC), among other presidential aspirants, agreed to the pact to maintain peace before, during and after the polls. In a statement made available to Newswatch Times in Abuja by its embassy, the US government urged all the candidates and political leaders in the country to make similar pledges. “The U.S Embassy in Nigeria applauds President Jonathan and General Buhari for their signing a non-violence pledge, the ‘Abuja Accord,’ by which they have publicly committed to refraining from advocating, fomenting or condoning electoral violence,” the statement read in part. The government restated its commitment to continue to support INEC in its task of achieving transparent, credible, inclusive, and non-violent elections next month. “We remain committed to working with Nigeria to strengthen its democratic institutions in the years to come,” it added. Source: Newswatch Times
Posted on: Sat, 17 Jan 2015 12:08:58 +0000
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