April 26, (THEWILL) – The United States Government, has said instances of voter suppression and violence were targeted at specific ethnic groups during the 2023 General elections in Nigeria.
Admitting that supporters of the Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, were harassed and kept off the ballot in Lagos State by agents and backers of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the United States, however, ruled the poll was a reflection of popular will of Nigerians.
The US Department of State disclosed these in its ‘2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Nigeria, as published on its website
The report which highlighted instances of property destruction and physical obstruction of voters in Amuwo-Odofin to APC supporters, citing videos posted on social media during the election, it said police officers witnessed the attacks on voters but failed to intervene.
It added that there was no evidence that the perpetrators of these irregularities have been arrested or prosecuted.
According to the report, “National elections were widely reported to have reflected the will of voters, despite technical and logistical difficulties and some irregularities.
“Many independent observers assessed the results of the presidential, legislative and state-level elections during the year reflected the will of voters, despite reports of voter suppression and vote buying, campaigning at polling stations, lack of ballot secrecy, violence and intimidation.
“During the March 18 state election in Lagos, All Progressives Congress (APC), supporters reportedly intimidated and suppressed voters in Igbo-dominated areas, which Labour Party presidential candidate an ethnically Igbo, Peter Obi, won in the February 25 national election. Viral videos on social media showed APC supporters in Ojo threatening to attack ethnic Igbo voters presumed to be pro-Obi.”
The report also said the prosecution of corruption cases, law enforcement and intelligence agencies did not religiously follow due process, leading to the arrest of suspects without appropriate apprehension and search warrants.
Citing the arbitrariness of security personnel in the arrests former Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele and the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, it submitted that lengthy pre-trial detention has remained a problem, denying detainees access to a court and frustrating the country’s judicial system.
The report recalled that the Department of State Services (DSS), detained Emefiele “for investigative reasons” on June 10, 2023, after which a Federal High Court in Lagos, on July 25, granted him bail and ordered his remand at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre until the bail conditions are fulfilled.
“However, the DSS immediately attempted to arrest Emefiele again and a fight reportedly broke out between DSS agents and Nigerian Correctional Service officers, as each group tried to take Emefiele into custody.
Meanwhile, the former CBN Governor was released on bail on November 8, 2023, before he was later charged with corruption.
“Similarly, the DSS continued to detain Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, a government-designated terrorist organisation on national security grounds.
“Kanu was charged on several counts, including treason, terrorism and illegal possession of firearms.“In 2017, Kanu fled abroad after skipping bail, but was arrested and returned to the country in 2021.
“Lengthy pretrial detention was a serious problem. Detainees often waited years to gain access to a court and in many cases, multiple adjournments resulted in years-long delays. The shortage of trial judges, trial backlogs, endemic corruption, bureaucratic inertia and undue political influence seriously hampered the judicial system.”
The report also alleged that the cabinet of President Bola Tinubu was harbouring official corruption.
“Although the law provided penalties for corruption by officials, the government did not consistently implement the law. There were numerous reports of government corruption. Massive and widespread corruption affected all sectors of government, including the judiciary and security services.
“In August, President Tinubu appointed former governor Abubakar Bagudu, the Minister of Budget, despite Bagudu’s widely reported his- tory of helping then-military ruler, Sani Abacha steal hundreds of millions of dollars from the government in the 1990s”, the report noted.
Read full report here:
