The United Kingdom (UK), has endorsed the re-election of President Mohammadu Buhari, saying that results from last Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections are verified and authentic.
This comes amidst claims by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other political parties that the elections was mared by electoral irregularities and fraud.
A statement credited to UK’s minister of state for Africa, Harriett Baldwin, said the results declared by INEC are authentic and consistent with the civil society parallel vote tabulation process.
“I offer my congratulations to President Buhari on securing a second term as the Nigerian President. The UK is a long-standing friend and partner of Nigeria and the Nigerian people, and a stable and prosperous Nigeria benefits Africa and the world. The Nigerian people have demonstrated resilience and a commitment to democracy.
The result declared by the Nigerian election commission is consistent with the result obtained through the civil society Parallel Vote Tabulation process. Along with our international partners, the UK believes the Nigerian people can have confidence in the result.” the statement read
Harriett Baldwin
The statement further stated that the UK government expects anyone in doubt of the authenticity of the results, should contest it in the most civil manner.
“We also recognise that independent Nigerian voices have expressed concerns about the conduct of the electoral process, in particular logistics and results collation, and reports of intimidation of election officials.
“We urge any party or individual who wishes to challenge the process to do so peacefully and through the appropriate legal channel and we encourage Nigerian authorities to examine all allegations of wrongdoing carefully, and take the necessary action against individuals found responsible.
“My thoughts are also with the families and friends of those who lost their lives in election-related violence. No one should die in the exercise of their democratic rights. We will continue to support Nigeria and its civil society in drawing lessons from these elections and strengthening its democracy.” the statement read
President Buhari’s main contender, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP has since rejected the results and indicated he will be challenging it in court.
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