UK raises security concern over Nigeria’s 2023 elections

…threatens to sanction instigators of violence

The United Kingdom (UK) on Wednesday raised security concerns about Nigeria’s 2023 elections and appealed to stakeholders to ensure that adequate safety measures are put in place ahead of the poll.

Catriona Lang, the British high Commissioner in Nigeria, raised the concern when she led a team to interact with leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in Abuja,

Lang said the British government was worried about the growing election campaign violence in Nigeria, citing 52 cases in 23 states since the campaigns began in October.

She told the PDP leaders that the UK would shine the spotlight on the election because Nigeria was important to Africa and other countries in the world.

“The few things that are on my mind; just to make sure that the elections go very well. Number one is security and we are really concerned about recent events.

“There have been 52 election violence related issues in 22 states, including an attack on the PDP convoy in Maiduguri. That is a real concern and we want to exchange our thoughts on what you can do as a political party to ensure that the elections are as peaceful as possible.

“This election is very important to Africa and parts of the world, so the spotlight will be on Nigeria and the UK will be watching closely.

“We engage in so many ways, we have spoken with INEC, civil societies. We don’t support any political party. It is for the people of Nigeria to decide who will lead them at the federal and state levels. In that spirit we are meeting all the main political parties”.

The envoy, who was meeting with the PDP leadership for the second time in nine months, said her delegation would hold a similar meeting with the leadership of other main political parties.

Stressing the need for adequate security for the polls, Lang said people would not come out on election day if they feel intimidated and that the election itself would not be credible.

She said that anyone involved in electoral violence would face sanctions from the British government by way of visa ban.

“On the issue of electoral violence, you can make a statement about the last election, as well as we do have positive support.

“Since we do have sanctions in the form of our visa programme, we will be watching closely any individual who acts violently or who incite people through social media. We do have the possibility of using our visa as a sanction by removing people’s rights to visit the UK.

“We will be watching closely. This applies to all the political parties; not just the parties, but security officials and anybody who might be in that position.