Kerry congratulates Nigeria on elections, calls for peace

US Secretary of State John Kerry offered his congratulations to the new Nigerian President Mohammadu Buhari on Wednesday, and called on citizens of that country to “reject violence” as they move toward what he called “a new standard for this democracy.” In his statement, Kerry affirmed that “Nigeria is an increasingly important strategic partner and that Nigeria has a critical role to play in the security and prosperity of this continent and beyond.” He added that “it was imperative that these elections are an improvement over past elections and that [Nigerians] need to set a new standard for this democracy. That means that Nigerians needed to not only reject violence but actually promote peace.”
Kerry praised the election process, and noted that while there were “reports of logistical problems, such incidents did not undermine the overall outcome of the election.” “The United States commends Nigeria’s Independent National Election Commission (INEC) and its Chairman, Attahiru Jega, on the generally orderly vote, on the use of technology such as card readers to increase the credibility and transparency of the electoral process, and on prompt communication of the results,” Kerry said.
“We especially applaud all voters who showed patience and demonstrated their commitment to participate in the democratic process,” he continued. “We laud both President [Goodluck] Jonathan and General [Muhammadu] Buhari for their public commitments to the Abuja Accord signed in January and reaffirmed March 26, respecting the official results, and encouraging their supporters to do the same.” Kerry asserted that the Obama Administration will maintain its “commitment to working with the newly elected government that emerges from this democratic process.”