Your vote matters, Blinken tells Nigerians in video message
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, accompanied by South Africa’s Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor (not seen), speaks to members of the media after meeting together at the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation in Pretoria, South Africa, on August 8, 2022. – Blinken is on a ten day trip to Cambodia, Philippines, South Africa, Congo, and Rwanda. (Photo by Andrew Harnik / POOL / AFP)
In a video message shared yesterday by the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria, Blinken said the people of Nigeria have a chance to make their voices heard and to choose their future.
According to the Consulate, the short clip, which had Blinken and other senior U.S. administration officials speak on the elections, was shared in the hope that Nigerians understand that the United States stands with them as they head to the polls.
The U.S. does not support any individual candidate for office; however Blinken stressed that America strongly supports free, fair and peaceful elections as enshrined in the constitution, which is one that reflects the will of the people.
“Your vote matters, this election matters, not only to Nigerians, but to the rest of the world,” the U.S. Secretary of State emphasised.
He added that “the Nigerian people have a friend and partner in the United States of America.”
The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who was one of the officials in the video, said free and fair elections in Nigeria will “help create a freer and fairer world for everyone.”
Thomas-Greenfield further stated that America has invested in Nigeria’s success, adding that the shared democratic futures of both countries depend on the triumphs of the Nigerian people.
Similarly, Samantha Powers, a USAID Administrator who also was in the video, urged Nigerians to go to INECNigeria.org to prepare themselves on how to vote.
Speaking further, Powers stated that Nigerians must be prepared to vote because each citizen’s voice matters as been the front-runner throughout, but we caution that the undecided/refused vote is still too high (in early February 2023) to be ignored,” the foundation said. “We had thought that by delaying our 3rd and Final Poll until early February 2023 we would see a collapse of the Undecided Vote. The reality is that the reduction in the Undecided Vote has been more than offset by the increase in the number of voters who refuse to disclose the name of their preferred candidate. ‘’
