By Mark Longyen

The United States’ Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, says elections are critical tools for upholding democratic values globally, stressing that elections reflect the will of the people.

The envoy made this known while speaking at a roundtable organised by the embassy to mark the U.S. general elections in Abuja.

Mills noted that the U.S. and Nigeria both practise democracy that have so much in common but  said democracy was imperfect as the electoral process could sometimes be imperfect.

“In both the U.S. and Nigeria, I really think elections are a critical tool for upholding democratic values and ensuring governance that reflects the will of the people that is accountable.

“I think most of you know in the United States we have a federal system, very similar to what you have in Nigeria.

“We have multiple levels of government, federal, state, local, checks and balances to help ensure the integrity and fairness of our elections,” he said.

The envoy said that although democracies could sometimes be complex, they could adapt to meet the needs of a very diverse society and stay true to the principles of fairness and inclusivity.

“I think you know our federal system was looked at very closely when Nigerians were putting their last constitution together.

“And for better or worse, I think I’m often asked by Nigerians, why do you have that electoral college system? And they say, well you guys have something kind of close to it.

“You have that requirement about two-thirds of the states, which is sort of similar to the electoral college. It has the same principles,” he said.

The ambassador said the U.S. electoral college system was set up at independence to ensure that the larger states of the 13 states at the time would not dominate the country.

He said that it was for this same reason that a Nigerian politician, who is running for an elective political position, needed to have some national broad-based appeal, not just to certain key states.

According to him, elections are at the heart of how democracy works and have defined the U.S. for almost 250 years.

He said that all Americans agreed that elections were the best way for citizens to shape their government, voice their visions, their aspirations, and most importantly, hold their leaders accountable.

“Now maybe 250 years later, the electoral college doesn’t make sense anymore in a huge country where there’s a lot of media and people can talk and people move in the United States, but it’s still the system we have.

“Americans can go to the polls and the popular vote winner doesn’t win the electoral college and becomes president. It’s happened a couple of times in my lifetime.

“So, I also want to say, I think one of the key parts of being an American on a day like today is that we recognise that democracy is imperfect. Our electoral process can be imperfect sometimes,” he said.

The ambassador underscored the critical role that Nigerian citizens, like the civil society and journalists, could play in advancing democratic principles and values through policy advocacy, education, for democracy to thrive in the country.

“Civil society organisations, active citizen leaders, really are essential to how we ensure elections work, and it’s not just about casting ballots on Election Day.

“It’s about the broader work that’s done before Election Day and after Election Day. To present agendas to your leaders to say, here’s what women care about, and we want to see you do these five things.

“So, your role in championing these values and working at the community level is crucial, because no one else can do that except the folks in this room and Nigerians themselves,” he emphasised.

“I want to just reaffirm that the U.S. mission is dedicated to working with all of you to support the pillars of good governance, accountability, transparency, and the rule of law.

“Let us continue to support one another in the shared vision that we have of democracy and work together to strengthen the bonds between Nigeria and the United States,” the envoy added.

Dr Carolyn Jenkins, an American activist, speaking via zoom from the U.S, said that achieving the right to vote in the country was the outcome of many years of battles.

Jenkins noted that the U.S. was still facing some challenges, such as political polarisation, economic inequality, politicisation of the judiciary, failure of accountability and erosion of confidence in its institutions.

According to her, the 2024 elections at all levels, local, state, and national, offer contrasting visions for the United States.

“The outcome of this election will tell us about who we are as a nation today and who we want to be as a nation for the next generation.

“This will be an historic election however you choose to define it because it has caused more people to become informed about the process, more people to be engaged in the process.

“On Jan. 20, we will have a new president. So, while people ponder who the winner will be, I say the winner will be democracy,” she added. (NAN)

Edited by Sadiya Hamza