7th April, 2011
The U.S has expressed its support for INECâ€
The Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Mr Johnnie Carson, declared the U.S Governmentâ€
Carson was reported as saying that “the United States agreed with the delay and praised INECâ€
“However, as we have seen this past weekend, one man alone cannot overcome significant systemic and logistical challenges.
“Nor can one person alone turn around and transform a political culture in which stolen elections have become the norm for decades,†Carson said at the event entitled “U.S. Policy Toward Africa 2011: Implications of Current Events.â€
Carson noted that the problems encountered by INEC created an “opportunity for political manipulation and some politicians ( in previous elections) have acted in ways to make proper electoral oversight all the more difficult.â€
“Nigeria has not had credible national elections since 1993 and overcoming this negative legacy remains a significant challenge,†he added.
The top American diplomat warned against election violence, saying that it “is unacceptable and it casts a dark shadow over the entire electoral process.â€
He, however, admitted that electoral violence in the build up to 2011 elections had been lower compared to 2007.
Carson expressed the U.S. governmentâ€
He said that in spite of the crises in Cote dâ€