III 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 716 

Calling for credible, transparent, and safe elections in Nigeria, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 6, 2018 

Mr. MENENDEZ submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Calling for credible, transparent, and safe elections in 

Nigeria, and for other purposes. 

Whereas it is in the best interest of the United States to 

maintain a strong bilateral relationship with a politically 

stable, democratic, and economically sound Nigeria that 

can play a leadership role in the region and the continent 

more broadly; 

Whereas Nigeria has presidential elections scheduled for February 16, 2019, and gubernatorial and National Assembly elections scheduled for March 2, 2019; 

Whereas credible elections could further consolidate democratic gains achieved in Nigeria over the last two decades 

since the transition from military to civilian democratic 

rule; 


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•SRES 716 IS 

Whereas a 2017 survey conducted by Afrobarometer found 

that 72 percent of Nigerians agreed that democratic elections are the best means of choosing their country’s leaders, thus indicating that the country’s citizens are deeply 

committed to democracy; 

Whereas collaboration between civil society actors and the 

international community was a key factor that contributed to successful elections in 2015; 

Whereas successive elections in Nigeria have featured varying 

degrees of violence; 

Whereas there have been deeply concerning instances of hate 

speech in Nigeria by members of both the ruling coalition 

and the opposition inciting supporters to ethnic violence 

as a means by which to gain electoral advantage, intimidate electoral rivals, or suppress voter turnout; 

Whereas, during the Ekiti and Osun gubernatorial elections 

in July 2018 and September 2018, respectively, there 

were concerning incidents in which some elements of Nigeria’s security agencies displayed partisanship and a 

lack of objectivity, which risks escalating tensions within 

the country; 

Whereas Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has improved the voting process, notably 

through the introduction of continuous voter registration, 

the adoption of simultaneous accreditation and voting, 

improvements to the secrecy of the ballot, and the advancement of smart card reader technology; 

Whereas the statement of the September 2018 Joint National 

Democratic Institute/International Republican Institute 

Pre-Election Assessment Mission to Nigeria cited remaining challenges and concerns such as delays in finalizing 


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•SRES 716 IS 

the legal framework for the elections, delayed release of 

funds for the elections, security threats in the Middle 

Belt and North East, instances of vote-buying, and incitement to violence and disinformation; and 

Whereas ensuring transparency in electoral preparations and 

building public confidence in the electoral process is vital 

for the success of the upcoming elections in Nigeria: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) reaffirms that the people of the United 

3 States will continue to stand with the people of Ni4 geria in support of peace and democracy; 

5 (2) calls on the Government of Nigeria and all 

6 political parties and actors to— 

7 (A) take actions to facilitate elections that 

8 are credible, transparent, and peaceful in order 

9 to support the will of the people and advance 

10 the consolidation of democracy and the stability 

11 of the broader region; 

12 (B) condemn in the strongest terms the 

13 use of hate speech and incitement to violence, 

14 and refrain from any rhetoric or action that 

15 seeks to demonize or delegitimize opponents, 

16 sow division among Nigerians, or otherwise in17 flame tensions; 


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1 (C) seek to resolve any disputes over re2 sults peacefully, including through the legal sys3 tem as necessary; and 

4 (D) respect the impartiality of the Inde5 pendent National Electoral Commission; 

6 (3) calls on the Government of Nigeria to— 

7 (A) refrain from deploying security forces 

8 in a partisan manner; 

9 (B) ensure that security services maintain 

10 the highest level of professionalism and impar11 tiality in facilitating the electoral process, en12 able accredited observers and journalists to per13 form their work, and protect the right of citi14 zens to exercise their votes freely; 

15 (C) move expeditiously to finalize the pro16 posed reforms to the legal framework for elec17 tions and to ensure the disbursement of req18 uisite funds for the 2019 elections; and 

19 (D) enforce laws against election malfea20 sance, including vote buying, and ensure equal 

21 and robust application through such measures 

22 as the establishment of the Electoral Offenses 

23 Commission and Tribunal; 

24 (4) urges all Nigerians to fully and peacefully 

25 engage in the electoral process, insist on full enfranVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:34 Dec 06, 2018 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR716.IS SR716

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•SRES 716 IS 

1 chisement, reject inflammatory or divisive rhetoric or 

2 actions, and seek to resolve any disputes over results 

3 through the legal system; 

4 (5) calls upon the Independent National Elec5 toral Commission to sustain confidence and trust in 

6 its management of the electoral process by— 

7 (A) taking concrete measures to combat 

8 vote buying through voter education campaigns, 

9 enforcement of laws against voter inducement, 

10 and a nationwide ban on cell phones in the vot11 ing cubicle; 

12 (B) releasing specimen ballots well in ad13 vance of Election Day so that civil society and 

14 other electoral stakeholders can conduct suffi15 cient education to orient voters; 

16 (C) making adequate arrangements to en17 sure the participation in the election of inter18 nally displaced persons (IDPs); and 

19 (D) taking steps to clean the voter roll and 

20 ensure timely production and distribution of the 

21 Permanent Voter Card to new voters; 

22 (6) encourages political parties in Nigeria to 

23 adhere to and enforce existing codes of conduct that 

24 commit parties to democratic electoral standards re25 garding campaign use of resources, engagement of 


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1 voters, peaceful resolution of disputes, and accept2 ance of verified and credible results; 

3 (7) condemns any efforts on the part of any 

4 politicians or political parties in Nigeria to politicize 

5 the security and law enforcement agencies; 

6 (8) encourages civil society organizations in Ni7 geria to— 

8 (A) promote the peaceful participation of 

9 citizens in the electoral process and draw on ex10 isting inter-religious and peacebuilding bodies 

11 to enhance their efforts; 

12 (B) disseminate information about citizen13 based observation findings and analysis to in14 crease public knowledge and understanding 

15 about the conduct of the elections; and 

16 (C) continue leading important early warn17 ing and response mechanisms to mitigate elec18 tion-related violence, including through efforts 

19 to monitor hate speech and other forms of in20 citement, and further strengthen democratic 

21 processes; 

22 (9) supports efforts by the Department of 

23 State, including the Bureau of Conflict and Sta24 bilization Operations, and the United States Agency 

25 for International Development (USAID) to assist 


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1 election-related preparation in Nigeria, including 

2 through programs focused on conflict mitigation; 

3 and 

4 (10) calls on the United States Government and 

5 other international partners, especially election-fo6 cused nongovernmental organizations, to— 

7 (A) continue to support efforts by the Gov8 ernment of Nigeria to address the remaining 

9 electoral preparation challenges and identify 

10 gaps in which additional resources or diplomatic 

11 engagement could make important contributions 

12 to the conduct of the elections; and 

13 (B) support civil society organizations and 

14 media organizations working towards trans15 parency and accountability in the use of state 

16 resources around the election period. 

Æ 


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