The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery on Wednesday revealed that the United Kingdom has shown interest in monitoring next month’s off-cycle governorship elections in Imo, Bayelsa, and Kogi States.
Montgomery also raised observations about the numerous post-election cases at both the state and federal levels, stressing it was important for the diplomatic mission to understand how the processes are playing out.
The high commissioner raised these concerns when he led a delegation to the headquarters of the ruling All Progressives Congress in Abuja, where he was received by the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje.
The development comes hours after the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, announced that the military was prepared for the off-cycle polls in the three states.
Musa went further to warn that any act of violence would not be condoned before, during, and after the elections.
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But Montgomery, who also admitted to having visited leading opposition parties before coming to the APC secretariat, called for fair play and a level playing field for the candidates contesting.
He said, ‘As explained in our private meeting earlier, I, as British High Commissioner, have a role to understand the politics of this great country and to engage with the political parties to understand both the priorities, challenges and opportunities of the political process in Nigeria so that I can explain it to my ministers back in London. I also need to understand your perspectives on a number of issues.
“As I am doing here, we met other members of the political leadership of different political parties across the country. Obviously, there are topical concerns that we have touched on like the gubernatorial elections, the runoff by-elections in Imo, Bayelsa and in Kogi. That we wish to understand and are watching carefully to see the process and the way it is carried out.
“We’ve discussed a number of the legal issues present in the political domain at federal and state level. It’s important for us as a diplomatic mission to understand how those processes are playing out. We admire the way Nigeria is using the courts to settle disputes of elections at every level when they occur. And we appreciate that process. So your excellency, I’ve come to pay my respects to you my congratulations and gain your insights and wisdom and to pay my respects to this great party that has helped shape Nigeria’s democracy,”
Welcoming the British delegation, Ganduje acknowledged the long history between both countries and how they both practised a parliamentary system at one point.