The Nigerian government has called on Western countries to support the strengthening of democracy in the country which it believes will in turn deepen the system in the West African region.
Nigeria’s Information and Culture Minister, Lai Mohammed paid a visit to some policy Institutes in Washington DC on Tuesday as part of his official engagement with the International Policy Institute after the general election.
The Minister asserted that Nigeria’s democracy if properly supported will augur well for the continent at large. Considering her experience, size, capacity and resources, Nigeria can positively influence the democratic process and development in Africa.
He asserted that West Africa in particular is plagued by democratic backsliding from the Military coup to presidents clinging on to power at all costs which must be changed as quickly as possible
The general election recently undertaken has been the most credible, freest and fairest election in Nigeria’s history, he said.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, with @Peterclottey of the VOA to speak on the 2023 general elections.
Monday (3 April 2023) pic.twitter.com/rUPfWkXO5q— Fed Min of Info & Cu (@FMICNigeria) April 4, 2023
According to him, a new technology called the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System or BVAS underpinned the credibility of the vote. Voters were required to scan their face or their thumbprint – the same as contained in their Permanent Voters Cards – to cast their ballot. Through this system, only real voters could vote
“It cut out fraudulent votes. It cut out ghost votes and it cut out multiple votes and its landmark technology (which worked 97% of the time) has been overlooked for other flaws, but represents a revolution in the way elections are conducted in my country. The President created a genuine level playing field and did not bestow any advantage on the incumbent party.“
The Minister said as an object, violence was rescued compared with all elections that came before. The African Union said in 95% of polling units visited, the atmosphere was generally calm and peaceful. Statistics of previous electoral violence. There were some pockets of violence which is to be abhorred, but this election represented progress on that front.
The vote also rewrote the electoral map of the country. For the first time since the return of democracy from military rule, there were three genuine contenders for the Presidency, he submitted.
“In the Presidential vote, the outgoing president lost his state of Katsina – the first time this has ever happened. The now President-Elect lost in his base of Lagos. Governors, whose dominant position in states used to invariably deliver the vote for their presidential candidate, could not stop their states from swinging. The opposition PDP also lost former strongholds in the South East.
“This speaks not only to the credibility vote but the health of our democracy. Strongholds can no longer be taken for granted. Each vote must be earned. That is democracy at its core.
“Predictably, the losing candidates have called the election a sham. But they have done so without any evidence.”
However, the US and other Western nations were quick to recognise the vote. All electoral observers, whilst noting flaws, did not see any rigging (which given the margin of the win, would necessarily need to be widespread to have any material effect). Yet some parts of the international media and commentators have uncritically re-reported and bolstered the opposition’s claims.
To be clear, the Minister said the government was not asking the media to not criticise the government. That is part of their job. We ask only that they bring similar scrutiny to the opposition’s evidence-free claims of rigging.
“Because the perception of this election matters. West Africa is plagued by democratic backsliding, from military coups to President’s clinging on to power at all costs. Nigeria, as Africa’s largest democracy, serves to set standards in the region. “
A successful, credible vote will be a fillip to those faltering democracies. But the opposite also holds. That is why we must make it clear that this was the most credible, freest and fairest in our history.
Meanwhile Joshua Mersevey a senior fellow at Hudson Institute applauded and congratulated Nigeria over the just concluded elections and urged the new leadership to work closely with the U.S.A and other advanced democracies to learn real lessons from those who are experienced.
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