Federal government shows concern over foreign interest in Nigerians’ election

Emeka Ibemere

No doubt, this year’s general election was going to be the 5th election to be conducted since the end of military rule in 1999. And it’s generating lots of local, regional and international interests.

On March 28, Nigerians would be filling out en-mass to elect the President, Governors and members to the House of Representatives and the Senate. Before now, the election was first scheduled to be held on 14 February 2015, but postponed by six weeks, to 28 March 2015.

The sitting President, Goodluck Jonathan would be seeking a second and final term in office.

However, the tension and excited actions or impressive display of the political class and their followers away from the norms of the election process and campaign utterances of candidates and their parties leaves much to be desired.

Several surveys have predicted that the election wasn’t going to be ‘landslide victory’ as the usual ones. This has made the election pitted a struggling incumbent president against an ex-military strongman, both of them using U.S. Democratic political strategists to help their campaigns.

Report said two firms that are political allies in America, are working on opposite sides in Nigeria’s presidential election.

It was gathered that one was the strategy group founded by former Obama campaign manager, David Axelrod, AKPD Message and Media. The other is former Howard Dean campaign manager Joseph Trippi of The Potomac Square Group. The two U.S. consulting firms entered into Nigeria to advise campaigns, and do a work that can win influence for their other clients.

J. Peter Pham, director of the Africa program at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank said the consultants have already become an issue.

“This issue won’t by itself sway the minds of many voters so much as perhaps reinforce their inclinations.”

Jonathan’s campaign team is working with Trippi’s firm while the opposition party reportedly hired AKPD.

AKPD’s Nigerian work has already drawn media attention in the U.S. and Nigeria, including reports of leaked emails that discussed the firm’s recent work for Buhari’s party.

Jonathan, too, is said to have faced backlash over a third U.S. public relations firm, Levick Strategic Communications, which was hired in June, 2014.

All of this occurred before Nigeria’s independent election commission last week postponed the election from Feb. 14 to March 28, a decision decried by Buhari’s supporters.

Some foreign countries, expressed concern at the postponement of Nigeria’s election until the end of March, with Washington warning that the government should not use precarious security as a reason for stalling on democracy.

John Kerry, the US secretary of state, said America was “deeply disappointed” by the decision, and added: “It is critical that the government not use security concerns as a pretext for impeding the democratic process. The international community will be watching closely as the Nigerian government prepares for elections on the newly scheduled dates.”

Philip Hammond, Britain’s foreign secretary said the postponement was cause for concern. “The security situation should not be used as a reason to deny the Nigerian people from exercising their democratic rights. It is vital that the elections are kept on track and held as soon as possible.”

Looming large over both candidates is international pressure to make sure that the election is free, fair and violence free.

Foreign organizations and countries wouldn’t want the repeat of 2011, when Jonathan beat Buhari with 59 percent of the vote. About 1000 people died in unrest following that election.

The two party’s effective actions are shaping and conveying messages which apparently have attracted the eyes of International communities. Meanwhile, European Union, EU has deployed Election Observation Mission in Nigeria, since January, 2015.

In response to an invitation by the Nigerian authorities, the European Union deployed an Election Observation Mission (EOM) to observe the Presidential, House of Representatives, Senate and then Gubernatorial and State Assembly elections in Nigeria, before the elections were rescheduled for March 28 and April 11.  Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, was to head the team as Chief Observer and Mr Santiago Fisas Ayxelà, a Member of the European Parliament.

 "The EU stands with Nigerians in their efforts to ensure democratic elections and respect of Rule of Law. This is all the more critical as the country is confronted with the challenge of fighting Boko Haram terrorism”, Mogherini stated.

“I call on all stakeholders to work toward transparent and credible elections and to reject violence. Under the leadership of Chief Observer Fisas I am confident that the EU EOM will provide an important contribution".

The EU’s EOM has already followed closely the early stages of the process with an advance team deployed in November and December to assess the political parties' primaries and the voter registration.

Newswatch Times gathered that a core team of eight election analysts had arrived on 6 January in Abuja. On 12 January, they were joined by 30 long-term observers who would be deployed across the country.  A delegation of the European Parliament and Nigeria-based EU diplomats would reinforce the mission on election days.

The EOM said they are going to remain in Nigeria until the electoral process is completed.

“Its long-term presence will help provide an in depth-assessment of the process. The EU EOM will issue a preliminary statement shortly after each Election Day and a Final Report with recommendations at a later stage”, EU statement reads.

“The EU has been very much engaged in supporting electoral processes in Nigeria and previously deployed EOMs in 2003, 2007 and 2011.  The mission complements the European Union’s support to the Nigerian election authorities and civil society”.

“At the invitation of the Nigerian authorities to observe the 2015 Presidential, National Assembly, Governor and State Houses elections of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the European Union has deployed an Election Observation Mission (EU EOM). The EU EOM is led by Chief Observer Santiago Fisas Ayxelà, Member of the European Parliament from Spain. The mission comprises a core team of nine analysts, 30 long-term observers, a delegation of the European Parliament and diplomats in Nigeria”.

The EOM said they are committed to deliver a comprehensive long-term assessment of the highest quality on the entire electoral process, including voter registration, party primaries, the campaign, the election administration, election days, complaints and appeals. The EU has sent observation missions to the last three general elections.

On March 28, elections would take place for the President, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Two weeks later elections for the Governors and the State Houses of Assembly would take place.

The EU has described the general elections in Nigeria as a test for the country's democracy. The EU team also stressed the need for electoral justice, urging Nigerian voters to remember that violence does not change the results of elections.

The EU’s chief observer, Santiago Fisas, made the comments at a press conference in Abuja. He disclosed that the observer team would be looking at the entire process over an extended period with more than 90 observers on election days.

“In my meetings with senior representatives they talked of honoring the Abuja Accord, for the elections to be peaceful”, he said. “Violence does not change results. It is also of course critical that the elections are fair, transparent and credible, and there is electoral justice. It is up to the institutions, the political parties, and the people of Nigeria to make this happen,” he added.

The EU observer also stated that the elections are a crucial and challenging test for democracy in Nigeria, adding that the polls are important not just for Nigeria and its neighboring countries, but also for the European Union.

“We already had advance analysts here for the primaries who noted that they passed relatively peacefully, but the system is problematic with restrictions on the right to stand and therefore reduced choice for voters on election day,” said Mr. Fisas. He stated that his monitoring group plans to stay longer “as the petitions process is critical.”

According to him, the EU would “observe and analyze each component of the process, carefully considering how those competing and voting in the elections are served. We will give our preliminary assessment two days after each Election Day. A final report, including recommendations for future elections, will be published at a later stage. The EU EOM will always be impartial and objective and will not interfere.

Areas to be covered in the EU-EOM’s comprehensive evaluation of the elections will include the following: assessment of the legal framework; the performance of the election administration; voter registration; candidates’ nomination and political parties primaries; campaign activities; respect for fundamental freedoms; access to and conduct of the media; voting and the counting; the announcement and acceptance of results; and complaints and appeals.

 “We all know there are technical challenges with this election, with the collection of voter cards, the use of new technology with the card readers, and delays in the petitions process.”

Meanwhile, the EU and the Federal Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the monitoring of the elections. The event, which took place at the Tafawa Balewa House, Abuja, had in attendance the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Danjuma Sheni, who signed on behalf of Nigeria, while the Charge d’Affaires of the EU Delegation to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Mr. Alan Munday, signed on behalf of the EU.

In his remarks, Sheni said Nigeria welcomed the EU as observers of the forthcoming elections because of the importance of neutral observers in the electoral process.

Sheni noted that such observers lend credibility to and legitimacy of the elections, saying that was precisely the reason Nigeria was willing to sign the MoU with the EU delegation.

While saying that the EU observed the 2011 elections, which he said was declared one of the freest and fairest elections in Nigeria, Sheni stated that the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega, has confirmed that the 2015 elections would be conducted under the best international practices.

“We, therefore, count on our partners to continue to assist INEC to live up to its place as clearly expressed by the chairman,” Sheni said.  “I want to stress that Nigeria is committed to having free, fair, credible, transparent and peaceful elections,” Sheni declared.

On his part, Munday said the reason why the EU was willing to observe elections in partner countries each time it was invited was due to the fact that democracy is the cornerstone of the EU. “We support democracy in all our partner countries where they wish to, and in the case of Nigeria, in a young democracy, to strengthen the democratic process, the democratic principles,” Munday said.

While noting that the objective of any observer mission was not to criticize, Munday stated that it was to deliver an independent report to the authorities of the inviting countries, with a view to, in the future, if there are things that could be made better, to again improve the democratic processes.

The international bodies accredited for observing the 2015 elections include the diplomatic missions of nine countries in Nigeria: the United States of America (USA), Australia, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, the Republic of Ireland, Japan and Switzerland. Other major non-state international bodies accredited for the elections are the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES); the International Republican Institute (IRI); the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs; the United Nations Democratic Governance for Development Project (UNDP-DGD); UN Women; the European Union Delegation to Nigeria; the ECOWAS Commission; and the African Students Association of Ireland.

Some of these international groups have already started working in refining and deepening Nigeria’s democratic process. For instance, the delegations of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the IRI, led by former US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Mr. George Moose, have already concluded a five-day pre-election mission to Nigeria.

It was reported that during the mission, the teams visited different parts of the country and assessed the preparations for the general elections. They have also not been shy in bringing to the attention of the authorities any lapses they have noticed so far in the run-in to the elections.

One of such areas which, they observed that require urgent remediation is the delayed distribution of the Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) by INEC. The international observers urged INEC to complete, as a matter of urgency, the distribution of the permanent voters’ cards to all eligible voters. They also urged INEC to complete urgently the procurement of card readers and simultaneously communicate relevant information on these issues to the electorate as soon as possible.

The delegation also urged INEC to embark on an extensive voter education campaign to demonstrate to the public the use of new technology such as PVCs and card readers. The group also advised INEC to accelerate the recruitment and training of polling officials and explore ways to increase voting by internally displaced persons (IDPs).

The group reportedly observed that unlike the three previous elections conducted in 1999, 2003 and 2007; the 2011 elections were successfully conducted, marking a “turning point in the country’s democratic trajectory.”

The UN secretary general, Ban Ki‑moon, urged officials to take all necessary measures to enable Nigerians to vote “in a timely manner”, including rapid distribution of voter cards. “This is imperative for ensuring a credible, free and transparent election,” his spokesman said.

Also, a team from the Political Section of the High commission in London visited Jos, Plateau State from 11 – 12 December, last year.

The delegation also met with The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Plateau State, Mr. Habu Zarma, the Police Commissioner, Mr. Nasiru Oki, and various representatives of Civil Society, many of which are engaged in various community cohesion related project activities. Discussions focused on the security situation in Jos and the upcoming elections.  The delegation was saddened by the suicide bombings in central Jos that occurred on the evening of the visit and took over 30 lives.

A student of International studies, Joseph Akondu, said a violence or political impasse could affect the foreign countries because of the position of Nigeria in Africa. He said with the rampaging Boko Haram activities, such political crises could potentially destabilize neighboring African countries and compromise U.S. interests in Africa.

According to him, Obama’s administration has little interest over Nigerian politics, which is driven by domestic factors and even less leverage over the Nigerian security services.

Nigeria was disappointed by the United State for not giving her support to counter Boko Haram.

It would be recalled that there was a November 2014 Council Special Report: "U.S. Policy to Counter Nigeria's Boko Haram", where US recommended long-term steps the United States should take to encourage a Nigerian response to terrorism that advances democracy, rule of law, and respect for human rights. In the short term, vocal U.S. support for democracy and human rights both during and after the elections could help discourage violence at the polls and after the results are announced. Secretary of State John Kerry, in a preelection visit to Nigeria, has already underscored the importance of free, fair, and credible elections to the bilateral relationship.

Nigerians who spoke to our correspondent said US and their allies shouldn’t take side in the internal democracy of Nigeria and avoid making utterances that could even worsen the political tension.

Observers from the National Democratic Institute and the International Republic Institute are likely to issue preliminary assessments immediately after the polls close. So, too, will observers from the European Union, the Commonwealth, and the African Union. There are expectations that there will be media pressure for early, official comments.

Two of Nigeria’s top diplomats vowed Wednesday that their nation’s postponed elections will occur March 28, and accused the Obama administration of promoting a false narrative that President Goodluck Jonathan is bent on using the security crisis around the terrorist group Boko Haram as a ruse to stay in power.

Nigerian Foreign Minister Aminu Bashir Wali and Ambassador to Washington Ade Adefuye asserted that Nigeria badly wants to buy American weapons to fight Boko Haram but continues to be stiff-armed by the Obama administration because of concerns of the government’s human right record.

The two diplomats said Washington’s overall relationship with Nigeria, which boasts Africa’s largest economy, has grown stronger in recent years, but they said the relationship has suffered from poor communication and miscalculated public pronouncements from top Obama administration officials.

The Nigerian officials said Secretary of State John F. Kerry’s public condemnation this month of INEC’s decision to postpone the election by six weeks, early this month fueled hysteria about a failure of democracy. What’s worse, Mr. Bashir Wali and Mr. Adefuye claimed, the State Department itself had helped fund a report that outlined how Boko Haram-related security risks could have ruined the election had it not been postponed.

The report, prepared jointly in January by the International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute, said mayhem being sewn by the Islamist terror group in northern Nigeria would “mean the disenfranchisement of a large number of voters,” a factor that would “well call into question the legitimacy of the election.”

“Holding the vote as planned on Feb. 14 would have been a catastrophe in view of the challenges that were enumerated in the report,” said Mr. Adefuye. Mr. Kerry’s statement “was oblivious of the facts of the report,” he said.

“American opinion is highly respected in Nigeria,” the ambassador added, noting that Nigeria’s lead opposition party, the All Progressives Congress, has “harped on the statement to make these allegations” first made by Mr. Kerry.

Mr. Kerry suggested on Feb. 7 that U.S. officials were wary of the Jonathan government meddling in the election process, warning that “political interference with the Independent National Electoral Commission is unacceptable, and it is critical that the government not use security concerns as a pretext for impeding the democratic process.”

Mr. Bashir Wali rejected the insinuation. He also pushed back against U.S. news reports citing anonymous officials in Nigeria who claimed President Jonathan’s ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is putting heavy pressure on the election commission’s leadership to delay the vote.

“We have nothing to hide,” he said. “This is propaganda by the opposition, when the reality is that the PDP and President Jonathan are totally committed to democracy in Nigeria.”

Mr. Bashir Wali added that Nigeria’s elections were similarly postponed but with far less fanfare at the last minute in 2011, and that the delay this time around was justified by multiple factors.

Among them, he said, is the fact that thousands of Nigerian military personnel would not be able to provide security at polling stations because they are fighting Boko Haram in northern Nigeria. He also said the election commission is woefully behind in distributing required voter identification cards to millions of the nation’s citizens.

Mr. Bashir Wali said he is confident both factors would be resolved by late March, and said that there is no question the election would take place on March 28.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government cautioned members of the diplomatic community against making what it termed “unguarded utterances” on matters that are strictly within the domestic jurisdiction of Nigeria.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Wali, gave the warning in Abuja, at an interactive session with the diplomatic community over the shift of the general election.

Wali expressed “the strong displeasure of the Federal Government with the conduct of some heads of mission”, who have continued to breach the laid down diplomatic channels of communication.

According to him, some heads of mission “have continued to behave in an imperial manner and in clear breach of the channel of the diplomatic communication.

“A situation, where a head of mission takes on the role of a government, seeking to impose the views and perspectives of his government and making unguarded utterances on matters that are strictly within the domestic jurisdiction of the host country is totally unacceptable.

“It is only in this country that I have noticed some envoys, who have taken it upon themselves and without recourse to the government to embark on social causes and political advocacy that are totally unrelated to conventional diplomacy and representational duties of ambassadors.”

The minister pointed out that Nigerian envoys abroad do not behave in such manners.

“It is, therefore, unacceptable for envoys to abuse their privileges and immunities by behaving in a manner that would have been met with the opprobrium in their countries were Nigerian ambassadors to behave in like manner.

“Let me be clear on this, the Federal Government will no longer tolerate the excesses of such heads of mission.

“They are, hereby, advised to operate within the norms and etiquette of diplomatic intercourse,” he said.

The minister declared that with the support of Nigerians and the international community, the elections would hold as rescheduled and in a peaceful and violence-free atmosphere.