America threatens Saraki, Tinubu? Say what US, UK promise to do to APC, PDP bigwigs over 2019 elections

After Nigerians got the shocking news of the postponement of the elections on Friday (Some only got to know of it on Saturday) the international community have urged all concern to maintain the peace and prepare for the polls on the rescheduled date of Saturday, 23rd of February, 2019.

However, before that time, specifically early on Friday, the United States of America (USA) and the United Kingdom (UK) have expressed worry over some of the comment and actions of politicians during the campaign.

Some of the campaign rallies in the country have been marred by violence and unsavoury comments by Politicians and their supporters, several lives have been lost either directed or indirectly through the indiscretion of Politicians and Nigerians which has led to heightened tension in the polity.

Some politicians have also suffered direct attacks as a result of violent tendencies of their opponents, while some are self-inflicted. some months ago, the Ilorin resident of the Senate President was attacked by people suspected to be members of the opposition, while a few days later, what seems like a reprisal attack was launched at the opposition by persons believed to be supporters of the Senate President.

President Buhari was also a direct recipient of this treatment as well, at the party’s rally in Ogun State, supporter of the governor, Ibikunle Amosun who is opposed to the Party’s choice of governorship candidate pelted the leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with stone and sachet water, nearly hitting the President in the process.

Also, it would be recalled that the governor of Kaduna, State, Nasir el-Rufai has stated that any foreign intervention in the country’s elections will be met with force. Though el-Rufai’s comment was met with condemnation from all quarters, the governor double-down on his comment claiming he was only trying to affirm Nigeria’s sovereignty. President Buhari has since distanced the Federal Government from the statement stressing that it did not reflect the official policy of his administration.

To this end, the USA and the UK have issued a stern warning to the Presidential campaign coordinators of both the APC and the PDP, Bola Tinubu and Bukola Saraki respective, and other top politicians in the country, particularly those in the two major political parties.

Speaking at the election situation room in Abuja, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, and the US ambassador to the country, Stuart Symington, revealed that both countries have mapped out plans to freeze the foreign assets of any politician who incites violence during the elections.

“We will apply this absolutely across the board, it won’t be directed at any particular party, so we are monitoring and looking out for hate speech.

“We are concerned with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rally which has hate speech a lot and we will like to call that kind of thing out,” Laing said.

“Our two worries are on security not just on the role the police will play to ensure peace but about the role individuals will play by getting angry or militias being paid to disrupt elections. Then another worry is fake news, that is why we rely on CSOs and we will work with them to get information.

“It is hard work and you must do it to be proud of your achievement. Looking back from the last election, there is that improvement and INEC performance has been strengthened due to civil societies,” she added.

In his words, the American Ambassador stated that the time has come for the world to take note of happenings in Nigeria and be more interested in the country’s affairs since it occupies a strategic position in Africa and the world.

“The time has come for the outside world that cares so much about Nigeria to listen to the people of Nigeria and to see what each of them do and then forward the results to lift Nigeria up,” Stuart said.