Stakeholders in the Nigerian electoral system have welcomed recent threats by the United Kingdom to impose sanctions on any politician found to have influenced rigging or violence in the forthcoming polls in Edo and Ondo States.
Yunusa Tanko and Peter Ameh, both conveners of the National Consultative Front who applauded the initiative, said such action will help in strengthening the Nigerian electoral process and compel most political actors to play by the rules.
Recall that the United Kingdom recently threatened to take actions against individuals who mastermind violence during the forthcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States.
It said the sanctions could include restrictions on their eligibility to travel to the UK, restricting access to UK based assets or prosecution under international law just as it did after the 2019 elections.
The British High Commission in Nigeria stated this in a statement published on its Twitter handle on Tuesday.
This is coming barely few hours after the United States government imposed visa restrictions on politicians who masterminded violence during the Kogi and Bayelsa elections.
The conveners of the Group argued that for elections to be seen as free and fair in Nigeria, there was need for unbundling the Justice Mohammed Uwais report on electoral reforms which suggests that the creation of special court to try electoral offenders and manipulators.
They noted that such a process where some persons impose candidates on the electorates against their wish owing to deep pockets or influence will continue to undermine our democracy.
“We need something more concrete, not just sanctions as the US and UK are threatening, we need to go back to the drawing board and look into the Justice Uwais report, INEC also need to be unbundled because as it stands, it is overwhelmed by infractions in our electoral processes, “NCF not
