The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) commends the recent historic move by the United State Government with resultant Visa restrictions on electoral-related violence, primarily to restore fairness, credibility and transparency in Nigeria’s electoral processes.
We recognised the remarkable development as restoration of fast-eroding democratic principles and core values in the nation’s electoral processes, dominated by decades of unchecked violence, vote-buying and ballot lootings.
We express total support for the new policy, which has validated the years of persistent demands by Civil Society, Human Rights and Anti-corruption activists for stringent international measures to discourage electoral violence that paves way for electoral fraud and undermines democratic principles in Nigeria.
We are not unaware of lack of political will at all levels of government to address electoral violence, in spite of the existence of laws and reports from several Panels and Commissions, with recommendations.
We also welcome the pronouncement by the United State Government in anticipation of respect for sanity and sanctity of rules of law in the run-up to the September and October 2020 Edo and Ondo State elections, and beyond.
We, therefore, call on British and other Governments to follow suit in the imposition of Visa restrictions to discourage electoral offenders from using their respective countries as alternatives in harbouring electoral crimes.
Signed:
Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani)
Executive Director, CISLAC
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