,,iii #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 ,,con4 ,,res4 #a ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,january #af1 #bjai,mr4 ,menendez 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,isakson1 ,mr4 ,boozman1 ,mr4 ,cardin1 and ,mr4 ,coons7 submitted the following concurrent resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,concurrent ,,resolution ,calling for credible1 transparent1 and safe elections in ,nigeria1 and for other purposes4 ,whereas it is in the national interest of the ,united ,states to maintain a strong bilateral relationship with a politically stable1 democratic1 and economically sound ,nigeria that can play a leadership role in the region and the continent more broadly2 ,whereas ,nigeria has presidential elections scheduled for ,february #af1 #bjai1 and gubernatorial and ,national ,assembly elections scheduled for ,march #b1 #bjai2 ,whereas credible elections could further consolidate democratic gains achieved in ,nigeria over the last two decades since the transition from military to civilian democratic rule2 ,whereas a #bjag survey conducted by ,afrobarometer found that #gb percent of ,nigerians agreed that democratic elections are the best means of choosing their country's leaders1 thus indicating that the country's citizens are deeply committed to democracy2 ,whereas collaboration between civil society actors and the international community was a key factor that contributed to successful elections in #bjae2 ,whereas successive elections in ,nigeria have featured varying degrees of violence2 ,whereas there have been deeply concerning instances of incitement to violence in ,nigeria by members of both the ruling coalition and the opposition inciting supporters to ethnic violence as a means by which to gain electoral advantage1 intimidate electoral rivals1 or suppress voter turnout2 ,whereas1 during the ,ekiti and ,osun gubernatorial elections in ,july #bjah and ,september #bjah1 respectively1 there were concerning incidents in which some elements of ,nigeria's security agencies displayed partisanship and a lack of objectivity1 which risks escalating tensions within the country2 ,whereas ,nigeria's ,independent ,national ,electoral ,commission 7,,inec7 has improved the voting process1 notably through the introduction of continuous voter registration1 the adoption of simultaneous accreditation and voting1 improvements to the secrecy of the ballot1 and the advancement of smart card reader technology2 ,whereas the statement of the ,september #bjah ,joint ,national ,democratic ,institute_/,international ,republican ,institute ,pre-,election ,assessment ,mission to ,nigeria cited remaining challenges and concerns such as delays in finalizing the legal framework for the elections1 delayed release of funds for the elections1 security threats in the ,middle ,belt and ,north ,east1 instances of vote-buying1 and incitement to violence and disinformation2 and ,whereas ensuring transparency in electoral preparations and building public confidence in the electoral process is vital for the success of the upcoming elections in ,nigeria3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 reaffirms that the people of the ,united ,states will continue to stand with the people of ,nigeria in support of peace and democracy2 7#b7 calls on the ,government of ,nigeria and all political parties and actors to-- 7,a7 take actions to facilitate elections that are credible1 transparent1 and peaceful in order to support the will of the people and advance the consolidation of democracy and the stability of the broader region2 7,b7 condemn in the strongest terms the use of speech that incites to violence1 and refrain from any rhetoric or action that seeks to demonize or delegitimize opponents1 sow division among ,nigerians1 or otherwise inflame tensions2 7,c7 seek to resolve any disputes over results peacefully1 including through the legal system as necessary2 and 7,d7 respect the impartiality of the ,independent ,national ,electoral ,commission2 7#c7 calls on the ,government of ,nigeria to-- 7,a7 refrain from deploying security forces in a partisan manner2 7,b7 ensure that security services maintain the highest level of professionalism and impartiality in facilitating the electoral process1 enable accredited observers and journalists to perform their work1 and protect the right of citizens to exercise their votes freely2 7,c7 move expeditiously to finalize the proposed reforms to the legal framework for the #bjai elections2 and 7,d7 enforce laws against election malfeasance1 including vote buying1 and ensure equal and robust application through such measures as the establishment of the ,electoral ,offenses ,commission and ,tribunal2 7#d7 urges all ,nigerians to fully and peacefully engage in the electoral process1 insist on full enfranchisement1 reject inflammatory or divisive rhetoric or actions1 and seek to resolve any disputes over results through the legal system2 7#e7 calls upon the ,independent ,national ,electoral ,commission to sustain confidence and trust in its management of the electoral process by-- 7,a7 taking concrete measures to combat vote buying through voter education campaigns1 enforcement of laws against voter inducement1 and a nationwide ban on cell phones in the voting cubicle2 7,b7 releasing specimen ballots well in advance of ,election ,day so that civil society and other electoral stakeholders can conduct sufficient education to orient voters2 7,c7 making adequate arrangements to ensure the participation in the election of internally displaced persons 7,i,d,ps72 and 7,d7 taking steps to clean the voter roll and ensure timely production and distribution of the ,permanent ,voter ,card to new voters2 7#f7 encourages political parties in ,nigeria to adhere to and enforce existing codes of conduct that commit parties to democratic electoral standards regarding campaign use of resources1 engagement of voters1 peaceful resolution of disputes1 and acceptance of verified and credible results2 7#g7 condemns any efforts on the part of any politicians or political parties in ,nigeria to politicize the security and law enforcement agencies2 7#h7 encourages civil society organizations in ,nigeria to-- 7,a7 promote the peaceful participation of citizens in the electoral process and draw on existing inter-religious and peacebuilding bodies to enhance their efforts2 7,b7 disseminate information about citizen-based observation findings and analysis to increase public knowledge and understanding about the conduct of the elections2 and 7,c7 continue leading important early warning and response mechanisms to mitigate election-related violence1 including monitoring efforts to incite violence or further inflame tensions2 7#i7 supports efforts by the ,department of ,state1 including the ,bureau of ,conflict and ,stabilization ,operations1 and the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development 7,,usaid7 to assist election-related preparation in ,nigeria1 including through programs focused on conflict mitigation2 and 7#aj7 calls on the ,united ,states ,government and other international partners1 especially election-focused nongovernmental organizations1 to-- 7,a7 continue to support efforts by the ,government of ,nigeria to address the remaining electoral preparation challenges and identify gaps in which additional resources or diplomatic engagement could make important contributions to the conduct of the elections2 and 7,b7 support civil society organizations and media organizations working towards transparency and accountability in the use of state resources around the election period4