According to Mary Beth Leonard, the US ambassador to Nigeria, the February 25 presidential elections fell short of Nigerians’ expectations.
She admitted that a lot of Nigerians are upset and unhappy about the way the elections were conducted and their results.
The Independent National Electoral Commission was urged by Leonard in an opinion piece titled “The Elections of February 25” to address issues that can be resolved before the March 11 gubernatorial elections and to conduct a more thorough investigation into the issues that arose during the previous elections and what can be done to address them.
The statement reads, “The people of Nigeria demonstrated their dedication to democracy on February 25, but there are many angry and frustrated Nigerians as well as many who are celebrating victories they believe were hard-fought and well-earned. In the coming days, it will be important for the future of this country that Nigerians not let their differences divide them, and that the legally established process for resolving challenges to the election be allowed to take its course. We commend Mr. Obi and Mr. Abubakar for their recent statements committing to take this path, and Mr. Tinubu, who INEC declared the president-elect under Nigeria’s electoral framework, for acknowledging their right to do so.