- The United States has congratulated Nigeria on its Democracy Day celebration
- It urged the country to have a free and fair elections in 2019
- The US promised to support INEC in its work to achieve that
The United States has congratulated Nigeria as the country celebrates Democracy Day.
This was contained in a statement released on Tuesday, May 29 by the US embassy and consulate in Nigeria.
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The US said the decision on who will emerge victorious in the 2019 elections is solely in the hands of Nigerians.
It said it is interested in a free and fair election and offered its support to the Independent National Electoral Commission ahead of the elections.
Read the statement below:
We join Nigerians today in celebrating the day on which democracy and civilian rule were restored.
In Nigeria, as in so many of our countries, the right for all citizens to enjoy equal participation in the democratic process was achieved after considerable struggle and suffering. We remember and celebrate all those who sacrificed so much for the freedoms we enjoy today.
The struggle to achieve democracy gives it a special value and places responsibility on all of us to support the democratic process. We congratulate Nigeria on its progress since 1999, including the first peaceful transition of power from a ruling party to an opposition party in 2015. As we celebrate your progress, we encourage and support Nigeria and its people to consolidate and deepen democracy as the country heads towards important elections next year.
Who will win the general elections in 2019 is a decision for the Nigerian people. Our concern as partners of Nigeria is to see a process that is free, fair and inclusive. We are particularly keen to see greater participation in politics from under-represented groups, including women, young people and people with disabilities.
We offer our strong support to the Independent National Elections Commission (INEC) and welcome the technical improvements they have introduced to the electoral process. We encourage the government and legislators to work with INEC to achieve further improvements at least six months before the elections, in line with the established ECOWAS protocol.
Democracy is not only about the voting process. It also requires a strong and ongoing commitment from political actors to uphold the democratic ideal. We have noted with concern recent reports of violence, intimidation and corruption, both within parties and between parties. We take advantage of this national celebration of democracy to urge all political parties to maintain Nigerian and international norms and support a credible process. It is the fundamental right of the Nigerian people to freely express their will now and in the forthcoming elections.
Meanwhile, former President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday, May 29, addressed Nigerians to mark 19 years of uninterrupted democratic governance in our beloved country.
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NAIJ.com gathered that Jonathan took to his Facebook page to share a powerful message to Nigerians.
In his message the former president urged the people to understand and accept that nobody’s political, economic, religious or social ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.
He further went on to extend Ramadan greetings to the Muslim Ummah.
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Source: Naija.ng