Ondo, Edo election: UK threatens to seize overseas assets of poll offenders

- UK government has threatened to sanction with visa ban those found guilty of electoral malpractices
- In a statement on Tuesday, September 15, the UK government also vowed to seize electoral offenders' overseas assets
In its effort to help Nigeria get rid of electoral malpractices, government of the United Kingdom has threatened to ban anyone guilty of electoral malpractice in the forthcoming Ondo and Edo governorship elections. The guber polls in Edo and Ondo state have been scheduled for September 19 and October 10 respectively by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
There is palpable anxiety in the two states over possible election rigging but the UK government, in a statement on Tuesday, September 15, through its embassy in Nigeria said election riggers will face severe punishments.
UK government has threatened to sanction with visa ban those found guilty of electoral malpractices. Credit: Twitter (UK embassy) Source: UGC The UK goverment also threatened to seize overseas assets of people found to have been involved in the election rigging. The action was taken after the US government announced that it imposed the visa restriction on some people as a warning that the country would never recognise malpractices in Nigeria. "As a friend and partner of Nigeria we are closely following the lead up to the off-cycle governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states scheduled for September 19 and October 10 respectively.

As we all rebuild from #COVID19, countries must continue to embrace the tenets of #Democracy – Transparency, responsiveness & Accountability. We look forward to seeing peaceful #Edo and #Ondo states elections, where the mandate of the people is respected and protected. pic.twitter.com/qfK1a4xnCh

— UK in Nigeria🇬🇧 (@UKinNigeria) September 15, 2020

“We will be deploying observation missions to both the Edo and Ondo elections and supporting civil society led observation. “The UK takes a strong stand against election-related violence and, just as we did in the general election in 2019, will continue to take action against individuals we identify as being responsible for violence during the elections. “This could include restrictions on their eligibility to travel to the UK, restrictions on access to UK based assets or prosecution under international law," part of the statement read.