[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 36 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 36
Reinforcing the United States-Nigeria relationship and urging the
Government of Nigeria to conduct free, fair, transparent, and inclusive
elections in 2023.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 7, 2023
Mr. Menendez (for himself and Mr. Risch) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Reinforcing the United States-Nigeria relationship and urging the
Government of Nigeria to conduct free, fair, transparent, and inclusive
elections in 2023.
Whereas Nigeria is the most populous democracy in Africa;
Whereas Nigeria remains one of the United States closest partners in Africa,
with billions of dollars of United States aid and investment per year
going towards key areas of governance, health, education, energy, and
finance, and democracy in Nigeria continues to be a strategic priority;
Whereas Nigeria has the largest economy in Africa and plays an essential role in
the economic growth and development of West Africa and continent-wide;
Whereas the United States-Nigeria trade relationship, supported by the African
Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) (19 U.S.C. 3701 et seq.) and foreign
direct investment, further connects our two countries' economies;
Whereas Nigeria's leadership in the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS) underscores Nigeria's position on upholding democracy and
adherence to transfer of power through constitutional means;
Whereas the 2023 electoral process in Nigeria is scheduled to include a
presidential election, 28 governor elections, 469 Federal lawmaker
elections, and 36 State House of Assembly elections that may test the
very foundation of democracy in Nigeria;
Whereas the United States supports peaceful, credible elections in Nigeria in
keeping with the democratic aspirations of the Nigerian people;
Whereas the United States, through key multilateral and nongovernmental
international organizations, has provided support to increase voter
participation, access, education, and safety in elections since
Nigeria's transition to multi-party democracy in 1999;
Whereas the 2019 Nigerian presidential and state-level elections were marred by
election-related violence, last-minute delays, widespread vote buying,
and disinformation, and had the lowest voter turnout in a presidential
election since the return to civilian rule in 1999;
Whereas, after the 2019 elections, Nigerian citizens made a resounding call for
electoral reforms to address violence, corruption, and political party
conduct within the country's political system;
Whereas, over numerous election cycles, Nigerian civil society has developed
significant capacities to impartially observe elections, conduct civic
and voter education programs, and hold government officials accountable
to democratic values;
Whereas the 2019 international election observation report published by the
National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute
noted that ``political parties remain the weakest link among Nigeria's
nascent democratic institutions,'' a sentiment shared by other citizen
and international election observation missions, and emphasized the need
for political party reforms to promote stronger internal democracy
mechanisms, the further inclusion of women and young people in the
political process, and the adherence to election codes of conduct and
the legal framework by political parties;
Whereas despite the low voter turnout in the 2019 elections, a 2022
Afrobarometer poll indicated that 70 percent of Nigerians favor
democracy over any other kind of government;
Whereas, since 2019, Nigeria has taken integral steps to advance transparency
and inclusion in elections, including through key provisions passed as
part of the Electoral Act, 2022;
Whereas the Electoral Act, 2022 calls for, among other things, an earlier
release of election funding for the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC), the electronic transmission of results, and the
enfranchisement of voters with physical and mental disabilities;
Whereas the people of Nigeria continue to advocate for stronger democratic
values, governmental accountability, and the full implementation of the
Electoral Act, 2022 in advance of presidential elections in 2023;
Whereas President Muhammadu Buhari has committed to a ``peaceful transfer of
power to an elected democratic government'' in 2023, and has pledged to
ensure that ``elections are conducted in a free, fair, and transparent
manner''; and
Whereas Nigeria continues to suffer from a multitude of security issues,
including banditry, terrorism, ethnic violence, religious intolerance,
and a lack of accountability for human rights abuses attributed to state
security forces: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) reiterates the United States commitment to democracy
and good-governance in Nigeria and underscores the support of
the United States for all people of Nigeria to be able to
participate in free, inclusive, and fair elections;
(2) commends the Government of Nigeria on the passage of
the Electoral Act, 2022, which signals the intent of the
Government of Nigeria to strengthen its administration of
elections, and emphasizes the need for fair and transparent
electoral processes;
(3) applauds the work of the many Nigerian civil society
organizations that continually work to advocate for and support
the implementation of key election reforms, bolster civic
education, demand accountability for actions of the government
and security personnel, and embolden women and youth
participation in politics;
(4) encourages all Nigerians to exercise their right to
vote and to refrain from all acts of electoral violence, voter
malfeasance, vote buying and selling, inflammatory speech and
disinformation, and any other actions that undermine free and
fair elections in Nigeria;
(5) condemns violence perpetrated by Boko Haram, ISWAP, and
numerous other insurgent and bandit groups that has impacted
millions of Nigerians and displaced hundreds of thousands in
neighboring Chad, Niger, and Cameroon;
(6) calls on the Government of Nigeria to fully implement
the various reforms included in the Electoral Act, 2022, and
to--
(A) fund INEC to its fullest capacity to
independently administer free, fair, and credible
elections;
(B) ensure that Nigerian citizens can safely vote
in elections, free of voter intimidation and violence
perpetrated by security forces, bandits, paid political
disruptors, and armed insurgents;
(C) remain independent from political interference
by candidates, appointed or elected officials,
political parties, and state security forces;
(D) work with INEC to ensure that elections are
held as scheduled;
(E) partner with civil society organizations, the
United States Department of State, and the United
States Agency for International Development on programs
that promote and fund good-governance, civic education,
and voter access;
(F) work meaningfully to reduce domestic tensions
within Nigeria; and
(G) support effective sub-national elections
through State Independent Electoral Commissions;
(7) urges INEC to--
(A) ensure equitable access for voter registration,
the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and
voter rolls, and ensure that the Bimodal Voter
Accreditation System (BVAS) accurately allows for only
one vote per person;
(B) maintain and publicly share accurate pre- and
post-election voter turnout data;
(C) hold candidates, elected officials, and
political parties accountable for electoral law
violations, and take steps to prosecute all those who
engage in voter intimidation, vote buying, and all
other forms of electoral malfeasance;
(D) coordinate with civil society groups that help
advance voter education, voter registration, and
election observation;
(E) minimize bureaucratic hurdles for accreditation
of citizen and international observers and ensure they
have unfettered access to all aspects of the electoral
process; and
(F) work with the United Nations and the
international community to enfranchise millions of
Nigerian citizens that have become internally displaced
due to violent conflict;
(8) urges political parties in Nigeria to undertake reforms
that reinforce democratic values and good-governance, including
by--
(A) holding candidates, elected officials, and
party operators accountable for efforts to interfere
with elections, including vote buying, voter
intimidation, and electoral violence;
(B) addressing financial and other barriers that
routinely block women and young people from
participating or running for elected office; and
(C) addressing electoral corruption, patronage, and
clientelism;
(9) calls upon the United States Government and the
international community to continue to invest in programs aimed
at advancing voter education, electoral security, conflict
mitigation, electoral dispute resolution, anti-corruption
efforts, as well as the development of political parties in
Nigeria, including--
(A) funding pre- and post-election data collection
with the Government of Nigeria and INEC in accordance
with the best election data maintenance and
accessibility practices to ensure there is a free open
source for post-election data that is transparent and
permanently available to the public;
(B) supporting the right of Nigerian citizens to
vote in elections that are free, fair, credible, and
consistent with international democratic standards;
(C) promoting accountability for any individual
that seeks to use violence, intimidation, or corrupt
electoral practices to undermine peaceful credible
elections in Nigeria, including through consideration
of targeted financial and travel sanctions;
(D) enabling citizen and international observation
initiatives unfettered access to observe and issue
reports on the pre-election, election day, and post-
election processes, including independent verification
of election results to the greatest extent possible;
and
(E) working alongside the Government of Nigeria to
call out and address disinformation about the electoral
process or from malign external actors;
(10) calls on candidates running for the office of the
president, governor, and Federal and state elected offices to
publicly commit to peace and to pursue the resolution of
election disputes through peaceful means; and
(11) calls on the Secretary of State to pursue diplomatic
engagement to encourage a peaceful and transparent electoral
process in Nigeria in 2023, including by coordinating efforts
among various United States Government agencies and departments
to further good governance, strengthen democratic and electoral
institutions in Nigeria, and prevent intercommunal violence.
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