Electoral violence: We’re watching political parties in Nigeria closely, says UK

The United Kingdom says it is closely watching political parties and individuals as it relates to inciting violence during the 2023 elections in Nigeria.

Catriona Laing, British high commissioner to Nigeria, said this on Wednesday during a meeting with members of the national working committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Abuja.

She said the UK is not supporting any party or presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, adding that the sanction of visa denial is in place for anyone found culpable over electoral violence.

“That is a real concern and we want to exchange our thoughts on what you can do as a political party to ensure that the elections are as peaceful as possible,” NAN quoted Laing as saying.

“When people feel intimidated, they can’t get out to vote; the election itself will not be credible. That is why the violence is of great concern.

“We will also be watching closely any individual who acts violently or incites people through social media. We do have the possibility of using our visas as sanction by removing people’s rights to visit the UK.

“We will be watching closely. This applies to all the political parties; not just the parties, but security officials and anybody who might be in that position.

“The important thing is to get the votes out, whatever political party you are. The election will be credible if the votes are high. It was low last time — around 35 percent.”