Contrary to reports by some international bodies that the polls were free and fair, the former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, has expressed regret and bitter disappointment that the vote was marred by violence, fraud and irregularities; describing the 2019 general election as bad news for democracy, adding that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is unlikely to win his legal challenge to the election results in court.
In his election post-mortem podcast for the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington DC obtained by Huhuonline.com, Ambassador Campbell, also lamented that the election was marred by historically low turnout and credible allegations of rigging. He noted that the election was a step-back from that of 2015, adding that actions should be taken to identify what went wrong and what should be corrected.
“The poor quality of this election cycle and the low and declining number of voters do not inspire confidence, and some Nigerians have begun to question whether democracy is right for their country. [Atiku] Abubakar says he will contest the election, but Buhari’s margin of victory—some four million votes—is so large that it is unlikely courts will overturn the result. Aside from some small pro-Abubakar demonstrations, Nigerians appear resigned to the outcome,” Campbell noted.
The former ambassador alleged that there was evidence that the militarization of the electoral process prevented voters from casting the votes, particularly in opposition strongholds, and intimidated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ad-hoc members of staff.
He said: “Buhari and his main challenger, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, both Muslims from the Fulani ethnic group in northern part of the country, are part of the political class that have dominated Nigeria since independence in 1960. Their contest meant there would be no generational leadership change in a country where the average age is 18 and half of registered voters are under 35. Buhari, who spent much of his last term abroad for medical treatment, hardly campaigned at all.
“During their campaigns, the candidates and their parties offered little that was new to address security breakdown caused by Boko Haram in the country’s North-East; conflict over land use, ethnicity and religion in the Middle Belt; and the division of oil revenue in the Delta. Moreover, they were mute on climate change, urbanisation, and a population boom that is expected to push Nigeria past 450 million people by the middle of the century.
John Campbell, the Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa policy studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, DC, is the coauthor, along with Matthew Page, of “Nigeria: What Everyone Needs to Know,” which was published in July 2018. From 1975 to 2007, Campbell served as a US Department of State Foreign Service officer. He served twice in Nigeria, as political counselor from 1988 to 1990, and as ambassador from 2004 to 2007.
Campbell’s additional overseas postings include Lyon, Paris, Geneva, and Pretoria. He also served as deputy assistant secretary for human resources, dean of the Foreign Service Institute’s School of Language Studies, and director of the Office of UN Political Affairs.
