The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Stuart Symington, has said Nigeria cannot afford to fail and that the country should ensure the the 2019 elections are conducted as scheduled.
Symington said this when he visited the Police Command in Kaduna, yesterday.
“The state of Kaduna is an important place during this election. I am here to underscore a couple of key ideas.
“The first being that these elections are really about Nigerians, decided by Nigerians, under its laws, which will define the future of Nigeria. The election is also for others who have looked up to Nigeria’s example of democracy in the past especially if it would be as good as those of 2015.”
The envoy added that it is important for Nigerians to decide on the election’s credibility; as they did in 2015 “so that its credit would be invested in democracy and freedom throughout West Africa and across the entire World.”
He urged Nigerians to also interrogate politicians using hate speeches and disseminating fake news, as they are capable of dividing or causing problems among the people.
“These kind of negative speeches can have negative impacts in the future.
“There are other people who have pointed fingers at those who are saying the elections would come out wrong, saying the elections can be right if every citizen of Nigeria act on the understanding that they are individually responsible for anything they get from the polls”, he stressed.
He noted that so far, there has been cheery commitments from President Muhammadu Buhari and other leading candidates contesting to rule the country, to ensure that every vote counts.
The US ambassador added that people must take responsibility for their actions, “first before God, second under the laws of the country, in the eyes of countrymen and lastly, in the eyes of the world.”
Symington encouraged all Nigerians to participate peacefully in the elections, to guarantee free, fair, peaceful and a credible honest reflection of their choice.