The United States of America (USA) has warned that it would not hesitate to take appropriate action against individuals seeking to undermine the integrity of the electoral process in Nigeria.

Johnnie Carson, the Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of African Affairs, issued the warning in Washington D.C at  a briefing on the recent election in Nigeria.

“We are partners in the international community, and will not hesitate to take appropriate action against individuals of any political party who seek to undermine the integrity of the electoral process. “Whether at the state, national or local elections,’’ he said.

The North America Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that Carson was in Nigeria to observe the April 9 National Assembly elections.

The media briefing was his first since he returned to the U.S capital.

“Following the deplorable post-election violence of the previous week, we are heartened that many Nigerian voters went to the polls to vote in an environment largely free of violence.

“We remain concerned about allegations of fraud and ballot box snatching in various jurisdictions, and we strongly urge Nigerian authorities to investigate and take corrective actions on all of these allegations.

“We commend the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and especially its Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, and the security services for addressing challenges and improving their efforts with each progressive election.

“We are confident that INEC leaders will continue to take steps to further improve the electoral process and ensure that some political actors do not revert to their old ways of subverting the will of the Nigerian electorate,” Carson added.

The top U.S diplomat for Africa said that despite the post-election violence and some voting irregularities, the elections marked a new trend for Nigeria.

“Nigeria has just completed its most successful election since its return to multiparty democracy in 1999.

“Despite some technical imperfections, those elections represent a substantial improvement over the flawed 2007 electoral process”.“This reverses a downward democratic trajectory and provides the country a solid foundation for strengthening its electoral procedures and democratic institutions in the years to come.

“These elections were a real opportunity to choose their leaders,” he said.

Carson stressed that he did not believe that any of the irregularities or technical imperfections undermined the overall outcome of the election. He maintained that the elections reflected the will of a majority of the Nigerian people.

The top US diplomat noted that the success of the Nigerian elections signified “a very strong signal” that other African states can hold successful polls.

“The Nigerian desire for a democratic government reflects a desire of many people across Africa.
“It is an indication, too, that if Nigeria, with its large size and population, can run and manage successful democratic elections, it is possible for many of the other smaller states to do so as well,” he added.