The British High Commission in Nigeria has congratulated the people of Osun State over their active, peaceful and democratic participation in Saturday’s governorship election.
The High Commission stated that the results released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are consistent with the results obtained through the civil society-led Parallel Vote Tabulation process.
Contained in a press release by the UK High Commission on Monday, the government commended INEC, the security agencies, civil society partners led by the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room and all stakeholders for their contribution to the success of the election.
Meanwhile, the British government said it is concerned about reports of apparent vote buying in some locations and hopes that persons involved are held to account by the relevant authorities.
As Nigeria approaches the 2023 general elections, the British government encouraged INEC and all relevant stakeholders to build on the progress made in the last two governorship elections – Ekiti and Osun States – “as it builds on the strong legal foundation provided by the new Electoral Act.”
The UK, however, promised continuous support for Nigeria, its institutions and civil society in drawing lessons from these elections to secure the integrity of its electoral system and the deepening of Nigeria’s democracy.
