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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 143 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 143

 Reaffirming the commitment of the House of Representatives to fortify 
relations with the people and Government of Nigeria and calling for the 
    country to commit to a peaceful, credible, and timely electoral 
                                process.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 21, 2023

 Mr. Allred (for himself, Mr. James, Ms. Jacobs, and Mr. Smith of New 
 Jersey) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Reaffirming the commitment of the House of Representatives to fortify 
relations with the people and Government of Nigeria and calling for the 
    country to commit to a peaceful, credible, and timely electoral 
                                process.

Whereas Nigeria is Africa's most populous country with over 215,000,000 people 
        as of 2022 and is projected to grow to 375,000,000 by 2050 and become 
        the third most populous country globally;
Whereas Nigeria is the largest economy in Africa with an estimated gross 
        domestic product of more than $1,050,000,000,000 as of 2021;
Whereas the United States and Nigeria share strong economic and trade relations 
        in which the United States remains the country's largest foreign 
        investor concentrated in petroleum, mining, and wholesale trade sectors;
Whereas the Nigerian people and the Nigerian diaspora have contributed both to 
        the United States and Nigeria through culture, business, and trade, and 
        reaffirms their longstanding transatlantic ties;
Whereas Nigeria's electoral cycle scheduled in 2023 includes Presidential, 
        parliamentary, State gubernatorial, and assembly races that has been 
        described as ``different from the six previous elections'' since 
        Nigeria's transition from military to civilian rule in 1999;
Whereas, as of 2023, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) 
        reported an ``unprecedented surge'' in voter registration, with a 
        voters' roll of nearly 93,500,000 in which 40 percent of those 
        registered are under the age of 35;
Whereas youth civic engagement is paramount to cultivate the next generation of 
        leaders in Nigeria as they navigate a path forward from economic 
        challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic;
Whereas, in the 2015 Presidential elections, an opposition party won the 
        Presidency and control of the National Assembly for the first time in 
        the country's history through transparent elections;
Whereas the subsequent general and gubernatorial elections in 2019 were fraught 
        with last-minute delays, political infighting, and electoral offenses 
        that undermined public confidence in the electoral process, INEC, and 
        the Nigerian Government as a whole;
Whereas the National Democratic Institute and International Republican Institute 
        described in their International Election Observation Mission report 
        that the 2019 general elections fell ``significantly short of standards 
        set in 2015'' and ``demonstrated Nigerian political elites' lack of 
        commitment to opening space for new faces and new voices'' for women and 
        youth;
Whereas civilian trust in the electoral process considerably waned with one-
        fourth of Nigerians reportedly trusting the INEC ``somewhat'' or ``a 
        lot'' as of 2023;
Whereas the country's National Assembly passed a national reform act in 2022 
        aimed at improving the conduct of polls, including by enabling the 
        electoral commission to determine necessary technological devices for 
        transparency and perceived credibility for voters;
Whereas Nigerian civil society organizations improve the preelection, election-
        day, and postelection environments by monitoring registration and voting 
        processes, conducting voter education and peace messaging, and actively 
        collaborating with INEC and international donor agencies through the 
        Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room;
Whereas, despite electoral and democratic reforms, insecurity and government 
        corruption still remain key challenges;
Whereas governments at the local, State, and Federal level and members across 
        political parties continue to participate in high levels of corruption, 
        including bribery, embezzlement, voter intimidation, and other numerous 
        financial and nonmonetary crimes, thereby undermining the nature of its 
        democratic institution;
Whereas Nigeria is facing record levels of unemployment and high inflation as a 
        consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, unplanned migration, changes in 
        weather patterns, violent insurgencies from extremist groups such as the 
        Islamic State-West Africa Province and Boko Haram, and Russia's invasion 
        of Ukraine;
Whereas, according to the International Crisis Group, armed groups killed more 
        than 10,000 people and abducted more than 5,000 in about 3,000 incidents 
        that occurred in at least 550 of the country's 774 local government 
        areas in 2022 alone;
Whereas, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, Nigerian 
        military forces have been accused of perpetrating extrajudicial killings 
        and war crimes, with over 400 civilians killed at the hands of security 
        forces since 2018;
Whereas attacks on electoral commissions, polling locations, and staff remain a 
        serious concern where in 1 incident, 3 gunmen bombed the headquarters of 
        INEC in Nigeria's southeastern Imo State that killed a police officer in 
        December 2022;
Whereas the Nigerian people expressed their country ``going in the wrong 
        direction'' in response to the significant and compounded security 
        crises;
Whereas the U.S. Agency for International Development is supporting electoral 
        processes, observation programs, and peace messaging, including by 
        encouraging candidates to adhere to a peaceful and credible process in 
        Nigeria;
Whereas the United States underscored its commitment to expanding and deepening 
        its partnership with African countries and working to bolster democracy 
        and strengthen electoral processes during the 2021 Summit for Democracy 
        and the 2022 United States-Africa Leaders Summit; and
Whereas, on January 25, 2023, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced visa 
        restrictions on specific individuals involved in undermining the 
        democratic process in a recent Nigerian election, and warned of similar 
        sanctions for anyone who intends to undermine the 2023 elections: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) reaffirms its commitments to bolstering the enduring 
        ties between the people and the Governments of the United 
        States and Nigeria;
            (2) supports the continuing efforts of the Nigerian people, 
        civil society, and members of the diaspora in exercising their 
        undeniable rights to free, fair, credible, and transparent 
        elections;
            (3) condemns the Islamic State-West Africa Province, Boko 
        Haram, and other violent extremist groups and nonstate actors 
        for egregious violations of human rights and impeding 
        democratic institutions, processes, and values;
            (4) calls on the Government of Nigeria to uphold its 
        commitments to transparency, accountability, and good 
        governance, including by--
                    (A) ensuring citizens have unfettered access to 
                necessary voting materials and polling locations;
                    (B) allowing elections to take place on time and to 
                resolve any potential administrative issues in a timely 
                fashion;
                    (C) apprehending officials and others determined to 
                have participated in voter intimidation and other forms 
                of electoral criminal acts by enforcing already-
                existing laws, such as the Public Order Act, meant to 
                curb impunity;
                    (D) pursuing a comprehensive, inclusive, and 
                expeditious electoral reform process;
                    (E) improving coordination among stakeholders and 
                trusted partners to expand and deepen voter and civic 
                education for current and future elections;
                    (F) implementing robust fact checking mechanisms to 
                curb the dissemination of misinformation, 
                disinformation, and distorted narratives; and
                    (G) investing in robust accountability mechanisms 
                to hold security forces, including the police, 
                military, and the Department of State Services, 
                accountable for crimes committed that undermine 
                elections; and
            (5) calls on the United States Government to--
                    (A) provide the technical assistance needed to 
                allow for strengthened electoral support, monitoring, 
                and accountability in a timely fashion;
                    (B) collaborate with the Independent National 
                Electoral Commission to provide training and 
                professional development for electoral workers, 
                political party agents, civil society organizations, 
                and elected officials; and
                    (C) utilize necessary diplomatic measures against 
                those responsible for undermining the rule of law.
                                 <all>
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