Reaffirming the commitment of the House of Representatives to fortify relations with the people and Government of Nigeria and calling for the country to commit to a peaceful, credible, and timely electoral process.

IV 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 143 Reaffirming the commitment of the House of Representatives to fortify rela- tions with the people and Government of Nigeria and calling for the country to commit to a peaceful, credible, and timely electoral process. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 21, 2023 Mr. ALLRED (for himself, Mr. JAMES, Ms. JACOBS, and Mr. SMITH of New Jersey) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Reaffirming the commitment of the House of Representatives to fortify relations with the people and Government of Nigeria and calling for the country to commit to a peace- ful, credible, and timely electoral process. Whereas Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country with over 215,000,000 people as of 2022 and is projected to grow to 375,000,000 by 2050 and become the third most pop- ulous country globally; Whereas Nigeria is the largest economy in Africa with an es- timated gross domestic product of more than $1,050,000,000,000 as of 2021; Whereas the United States and Nigeria share strong eco- nomic and trade relations in which the United States re- VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:51 Feb 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR143.IH HR143 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 2 •HRES 143 IH mains the country’s largest foreign investor concentrated in petroleum, mining, and wholesale trade sectors; Whereas the Nigerian people and the Nigerian diaspora have contributed both to the United States and Nigeria through culture, business, and trade, and reaffirms their longstanding transatlantic ties; Whereas Nigeria’s electoral cycle scheduled in 2023 includes Presidential, parliamentary, State gubernatorial, and as- sembly races that has been described as ‘‘different from the six previous elections’’ since Nigeria’s transition from military to civilian rule in 1999; Whereas, as of 2023, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reported an ‘‘unprecedented surge’’ in voter registration, with a voters’ roll of nearly 93,500,000 in which 40 percent of those registered are under the age of 35; Whereas youth civic engagement is paramount to cultivate the next generation of leaders in Nigeria as they navigate a path forward from economic challenges caused by the COVID–19 pandemic; Whereas, in the 2015 Presidential elections, an opposition party won the Presidency and control of the National As- sembly for the first time in the country’s history through transparent elections; Whereas the subsequent general and gubernatorial elections in 2019 were fraught with last-minute delays, political in- fighting, and electoral offenses that undermined public confidence in the electoral process, INEC, and the Nige- rian Government as a whole; Whereas the National Democratic Institute and International Republican Institute described in their International VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:51 Feb 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR143.IH HR143 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 3 •HRES 143 IH Election Observation Mission report that the 2019 gen- eral elections fell ‘‘significantly short of standards set in 2015’’ and ‘‘demonstrated Nigerian political elites’ lack of commitment to opening space for new faces and new voices’’ for women and youth; Whereas civilian trust in the electoral process considerably waned with one-fourth of Nigerians reportedly trusting the INEC ‘‘somewhat’’ or ‘‘a lot’’ as of 2023; Whereas the country’s National Assembly passed a national reform act in 2022 aimed at improving the conduct of polls, including by enabling the electoral commission to determine necessary technological devices for trans- parency and perceived credibility for voters; Whereas Nigerian civil society organizations improve the preelection, election-day, and postelection environments by monitoring registration and voting processes, con- ducting voter education and peace messaging, and ac- tively collaborating with INEC and international donor agencies through the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room; Whereas, despite electoral and democratic reforms, insecurity and government corruption still remain key challenges; Whereas governments at the local, State, and Federal level and members across political parties continue to partici- pate in high levels of corruption, including bribery, em- bezzlement, voter intimidation, and other numerous fi- nancial and nonmonetary crimes, thereby undermining the nature of its democratic institution; Whereas Nigeria is facing record levels of unemployment and high inflation as a consequence of the COVID–19 pan- demic, unplanned migration, changes in weather pat- VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:51 Feb 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR143.IH HR143 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 4 •HRES 143 IH terns, violent insurgencies from extremist groups such as the Islamic State–West Africa Province and Boko Haram, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; Whereas, according to the International Crisis Group, armed groups killed more than 10,000 people and abducted more than 5,000 in about 3,000 incidents that occurred in at least 550 of the country’s 774 local government areas in 2022 alone; Whereas, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, Nigerian military forces have been accused of perpetrating extrajudicial killings and war crimes, with over 400 civilians killed at the hands of security forces since 2018; Whereas attacks on electoral commissions, polling locations, and staff remain a serious concern where in 1 incident, 3 gunmen bombed the headquarters of INEC in Nigeria’s southeastern Imo State that killed a police officer in De- cember 2022; Whereas the Nigerian people expressed their country ‘‘going in the wrong direction’’ in response to the significant and compounded security crises; Whereas the U.S. Agency for International Development is supporting electoral processes, observation programs, and peace messaging, including by encouraging candidates to adhere to a peaceful and credible process in Nigeria; Whereas the United States underscored its commitment to expanding and deepening its partnership with African countries and working to bolster democracy and strength- en electoral processes during the 2021 Summit for De- mocracy and the 2022 United States-Africa Leaders Summit; and VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:51 Feb 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR143.IH HR143 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 5 •HRES 143 IH Whereas, on January 25, 2023, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced visa restrictions on specific individ- uals involved in undermining the democratic process in a recent Nigerian election, and warned of similar sanctions for anyone who intends to undermine the 2023 elections: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) reaffirms its commitments to bolstering the 2 enduring ties between the people and the Govern- 3 ments of the United States and Nigeria; 4 (2) supports the continuing efforts of the Nige- 5 rian people, civil society, and members of the dias- 6 pora in exercising their undeniable rights to free, 7 fair, credible, and transparent elections; 8 (3) condemns the Islamic State–West Africa 9 Province, Boko Haram, and other violent extremist 10 groups and nonstate actors for egregious violations 11 of human rights and impeding democratic institu- 12 tions, processes, and values; 13 (4) calls on the Government of Nigeria to up- 14 hold its commitments to transparency, account- 15 ability, and good governance, including by— 16 (A) ensuring citizens have unfettered ac- 17 cess to necessary voting materials and polling 18 locations; 19 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:51 Feb 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR143.IH HR143 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 6 •HRES 143 IH (B) allowing elections to take place on time 1 and to resolve any potential administrative 2 issues in a timely fashion; 3 (C) apprehending officials and others de- 4 termined to have participated in voter intimida- 5 tion and other forms of electoral criminal acts 6 by enforcing already-existing laws, such as the 7 Public Order Act, meant to curb impunity; 8 (D) pursuing a comprehensive, inclusive, 9 and expeditious electoral reform process; 10 (E) improving coordination among stake- 11 holders and trusted partners to expand and 12 deepen voter and civic education for current 13 and future elections; 14 (F) implementing robust fact checking 15 mechanisms to curb the dissemination of misin- 16 formation, disinformation, and distorted nar- 17 ratives; and 18 (G) investing in robust accountability 19 mechanisms to hold security forces, including 20 the police, military, and the Department of 21 State Services, accountable for crimes com- 22 mitted that undermine elections; and 23 (5) calls on the United States Government to— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:51 Feb 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR143.IH HR143 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 7 •HRES 143 IH (A) provide the technical assistance needed 1 to allow for strengthened electoral support, 2 monitoring, and accountability in a timely fash- 3 ion; 4 (B) collaborate with the Independent Na- 5 tional Electoral Commission to provide training 6 and professional development for electoral work- 7 ers, political party agents, civil society organiza- 8 tions, and elected officials; and 9 (C) utilize necessary diplomatic measures 10 against those responsible for undermining the 11 rule of law. 12 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:51 Feb 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR143.IH HR143 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB