February 25 failed to meet Nigerians’ expectations – US Ambassador

The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, stated that the February 25 presidential elections fell short of Nigerians' aspirations.

The ambassador noted that many people are unhappy and dissatisfied with the results, while others are celebrating hard-fought and well-earned gains.

She did, however, applaud Nigerians for their commitment to democracy.

Leonard encouraged the Independent National Electoral Commission to address the obstacles that may be remedied before the March 11 gubernatorial elections, as well as to conduct a larger examination of the flaws that occurred during the last elections and what can be done to repair them.

Moreover, she encouraged INEC to disclose information regarding its operations with the Nigerian people.

She stated this in an op-ed titled 'The Elections of February 25.'

She praised Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar for their determination to run legally in the presidential elections, as well as President-elect Bola Tinubu for recognizing their right to do so.

"The people of Nigeria proved their loyalty to democracy on February 25, yet there are many angry and unhappy Nigerians, as well as those who are celebrating gains they think were hard-fought and well-earned," the statement says in part.

"It is critical for the future of our country that Nigerians do not let their disagreements divide them, and that the lawfully established mechanism for addressing election concerns be allowed to run its course."

Leonard also recognized that, while ending an electoral process in a courtroom might be unpleasant, in a constitutional democracy governed by the rule of law, that is where electoral disagreements should be resolved.

She stated that the Nigerian electoral scene is "unquestionably" shifting.

With respect to the results from the presidential and National Assembly votes, she stated that "more than half of the states - 20 - the winning candidate represented a different party than that of the incumbent governor.APC governors lead twelve of these states.

"For the first time, four presidential contenders won at least one state, while the top three each won 12 states based on these first findings.

"Even though the results of the National Assembly elections are still being tallied, we already know that changes are afoot: seven sitting governors lost their bids for election to the Assembly; the Labor Party has won at least seven seats in the Senate; and the NNPP has won at least 11 seats in the House of Representatives."

She did, however, promise Nigeria that "we stand with you in these next weeks and months."