The United States government has thrown its
weight behind the Independent National Electoral Commission to use the
Permanent Voter Cards and the smart card readers in the March 28 and April 11
elections.
The introduction of the PVC and the SCR for
use in the 2015 general elections has been a subject of hot debate and
litigation in the country.
The American government conveyed its
approval of the card readers through Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday.
Biden spoke with Nigerian President
Goodluck Jonathan, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party and the
presidential candidate of the opposition All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen.
Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) on the forthcoming election, a statement on Thursday
by the US embassy in Nigeria indicated.
The US Vice President commended President
Jonathan and Buhari for signing the Abuja Peace Accord in mid-January,
describing it as a show of their commitment to non-violence throughout the
election process.
The statement read in part, “The Vice
President further expressed the United States’ support for the Nigerian
Independent National Electoral Commission and its work to deliver free, fair,
and credible elections, in part through its essential efforts to distribute
Permanent Voter Cards and help ensure that electronic voter card readers are in
place and fully operational.”
Biden also registered his concern on the
violence recorded during some recent election-related events and re-emphasised
the need for both presidential candidates to make clear that such violence had
no place in a democratic process.
The US vice president stated further that
the American government would stand with the Nigerian people in support of
credible and peaceful elections, and would continue to stand with the Nigerian
people whatever the outcome of the presidential poll.
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