This resolution reaffirms the House of Representatives' commitment to strengthening ties between the United States and Nigeria. The resolution also (1) supports the rights of Nigerians to free and fair elections; (2) condemns the Islamic State-West Africa Province, Boko Haram, and other violent extremist groups; and (3) calls on the government of Nigeria to uphold its commitment to good governance.
[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>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
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