April polls offers Nigeria opportunity to reverse`a trajectory of bad elections’ – US

Vanguard

30 March 2011

April polls offers Nigeria opportunity to reverse`a trajectory of bad elections’ – US

New York – The United States has called on security agencies in Nigeria to do everything possible to ensure safety at polling places and prevent violence during the April general elections.

The U.S. also urged the Nigerian government to exercise “special care’’ in some parts of the country where there were “instability’’, including the Niger Delta, Jos and some parts of the north.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson spoke to reporters on Tuesday via a teleconference.

“We are watching very closely, the potential for violence in the run-up to the Nigerian elections.

`Right now, we have seen regrettably too much of that even though the level of violence in the run-up to the 2011 elections is not as serious as it was in 2007.’’

On the restive areas, Carson said:“we hope that the government will exercise special care and caution in the management of elections there to ensure that the violence that is ongoing as a result of those local issues does not impact on the ability of the people to cast votes.’’

Carson said the April 2011 elections provided an opportunity for Nigeria to reverse `a trajectory of bad elections’’.