Heal Post Election Divisions With Inclusive Cabinet, US Advises

Tokunbo Adedoja

29 April 2011

United States Thursday expressed hopes that President Goodluck Jonathan, in the composition of his cabinet, would reach out to heal post election political divisions.

Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, Ambassador Johnnie Carson, said this at a special briefing on the Nigerian elections held at the State Department in Washington.

Responding to a question on whether President Jonathan should reach out to opponents in the composition of his new cabinet, Carson said, “I cannot say what kind of cabinet or government President Jonathan will put in place. But I do note that his vice president is, in fact, a former northern governor and that the constitution does call for the president of the country to select from individual states various cabinet members.

“I hope that he will act in both a responsible and inclusive manner in the selection of those individuals for his cabinet and that in doing so, he will be reaching out to heal the political divisions that were uncovered during the election process.”

The senior US official, who described this month’s elections as the most successful since the return to multiparty democracy in 1999, said US hopes that “these elections will be a baseline for greater improvement in both their technical procedures as well as in their security.”

Noting that US was heartened that many Nigerian voters went to the polls to vote in an environment largely free of violence, he said his country was however concerned about allegations of fraud and ballot box snatching in various jurisdictions.

Carson, who was on ground in Nigeria to observe the April 9 parliamentary election said there is no doubt in his mind that “there were some imperfections, some technical problems, and probably some justified cases of rigging”, but added that he hopes that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would take seriously all allegations of election irregularity.

The senior US official however said he does not “believe that any of the irregularities or technical imperfections undermine the overall outcome of this election and that the elections do reflect the will of a majority of the Nigerian people.”

In his overall appraisal of the election, he said: “Despite some technical imperfections, those elections represent a substantial improvement over the flawed 2007 electoral process. This reverses a downward democratic trajectory and provides the country a solid foundation for strengthening its electoral procedures and democratic institutions in the years to come.

“The Nigerian people have shown to the world their resilience and will to have their voices heard. These elections were a real opportunity to choose their leaders.”

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