Following a hugely controversial presidential election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on February 25th, 2023, where the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu emerged victorious, a ranking United States Senator, Jim Risch, has expressed disappointment at the Joe Biden government for hastily congratulating Tinubu, instead of siding with the Nigerian people who are dissatisfied with the electoral process.
Risch who is a Republican Senator from the state of Idaho, and member of the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the outcome of the election is highly questionable, and observers report must be taken seriously before any formal acceptance.
Speaking in Washington D.C, United States. Risch said: “The ongoing electoral process in Nigeria is widely viewed as deeply flawed by election observers and many Nigerians. It is disappointing to see the administration rush to embrace the result while the full picture of what occurred during this electoral process is yet to be seen.”
Risch also said he had expressed similar concerns related to other areas of the United States-Nigeria relationship with the Federal Government.
“I worry this rush to judgement will undermine our ability to be an effective partner to all Nigerians, especially given their longstanding desire for democracy,” Risch added.
Risch further said with Nigeria heading into state-level elections in just a few days, it was important that the United States be more concerned with supporting the Nigerian people and their democratic aspirations than embracing the Nigerian government.
Nigerians who have long lost confidence in the President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, have rallied heavily behind opposition parties, notably the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi, to bring to an end the APC’s 8 years of terror.
However, on election day, Nigeria’s electoral body INEC, under Professor Mahmoud Yakubu, failed to live upto expectation, or seemingly compromised, thereby ensuring the outcome goes against the wishes of the majority of the Nigerian people.
Source: National Pivot
