The United Kingdom has threatened to place a visa ban on politicians who mastermind violence and election rigging during the forthcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, said that assets of such electoral offenders in the UK will be seized and will be prosecuted under international law just as it did after the 2019 elections.
The statement read, “The UK takes a strong stand against election-related violence and just as we did in the general election in 2019, we will continue to take action against individuals we identify as being responsible for violence during elections.
“This could include restrictions on their eligibility to travel to the UK, restrictions on access to UK-based assets or prosecution under international law.”
She noted that the commission has held meetings with the leaders of the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party on the Saturday governorship election in Edo State to prevail on their supporters to avoid violence before, during, and after the elections.
It further said the UK welcomed the signing of a peace accord by the governorship candidates in the state. The commission disclosed that it would be deploying observation missions to both Edo and Ondo polls while supporting civil society-led observation.
This is a welcome development. I urge the European union to take similar measures against election triggers and enemies of democracy in Nigeria.