US Government says INEC must address technical issues during voting, congratulates Tinubu

The United States Government has urged Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to address technical hitches reportedly associated with the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS). This was disclosed in a statement by Ned Price, Spokesperson for the State Department. The US Government said it’s aware that many Nigerians and some of the parties have expressed frustration about how the process was conducted. Part of the statement quoted Mr Price to have said  “We join other international observers in urging INEC to improve in the areas that need the most attention ahead of the March 11 elections. “We understand that many Nigerians and some of the parties have expressed frustration about the manner in which the process was conducted. “They have also expressed frustration about the shortcomings of technical elements that were used for the first time in a presidential election cycle.” Advice for the opposition: Price, however, advised the aggrieved presidential candidates to use all legal means to correct the anomaly. “There are well-established mechanisms in place for the adjudication of electoral disputes, and we encourage any candidate or party seeking to challenge the outcome to pursue redress through those mechanisms. “We call on all parties, candidates, and supporters to refrain from violence or inflammatory rhetoric at this critical time,’’ the spokesperson said.  “We urge the government, security forces, political actors, and all citizens to respect the media’s critical role by refraining from any damaging acts against them and ensuring accountability for such acts when they do occur. “We also congratulate the Nigerian people, especially the large number of youths who are relatively new to the political process, for demonstrating their strong commitment to democracy.” Congratulations to Tinubu: The US Government also congratulated President-elect Tinubu, and all political leaders following the declaration by INEC on the results of the February 25 presidential election, adding that Each of the top three candidates was the leading vote-getter in 12 states, a remarkable first in Nigeria’s modern political era, reflecting the diversity of views that characterized the campaign and the wishes of Nigeria’s voters.’’