The British High Commission is gathering information on Nigerians who participated in anti-democratic actions during the recent elections.
The Commission expressed concerns over the use of inflammatory ethno-religious language by some political figures.
The governorship and house of assembly elections were held in 28 states, while the remaining eight states held only house of assembly elections. The Commission reported instances of vote buying, voter intimidation, destruction of election materials, and harassment of journalists during the governorship elections.
However, it also noted improvements in election logistics by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and commended the positive markers to build on for future elections. The Commission witnessed violence, voter suppression, and incidents of harassment of journalists in several voting locations. It called on leaders to distance themselves from inflammatory language and prevent those who speak on their behalf from doing so.
The UK Minister of State for Development and Africa, Andrew Mitchell MP, stated that the UK is prepared to take action against those who engage in or incite electoral violence and other anti-democratic behaviors, including imposing sanctions under their human rights sanctions regime or preventing individuals from obtaining UK visas.
The British High Commission is collating relevant information on individuals to take action against them.
