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Andrew Lloyd who is
also the Permanent Representative of Britain to the Economic Community
of West African States (ECOWAS), talks about Britain’s role in the
general elections, his hopes for future bilateral relations and
delivers an assessment of INEC’s performance.

What is your assessment of the elections so far and is there room for improvement?

The elections have
captured the international community’s imagination. There is a large
number of international observers here. These elections are significant
because Nigeria has proven itself to be a champion of democracy. My
sense is that there will always be room for improvement, no matter how
good the elections are; even in the UK with postal ballots and the US
with electronic voting. My overall sense is that last weekend’s
elections were a significant improvement on any election Nigeria has
ever had.

How would you rate Attahiru Jega’s performance in comparison to his predecessor?

I cannot comment on
Maurice Iwu’s performance because I was not here at the time and it
would be unfair. My assessment is that INEC, under Chairman Jega’s
stewardship, has really turned around the conduct of the elections. He
has built a lot of trust with the people of Nigeria and the political
parties.

When there were
logistical problems, Nigerians were quite right to give him the benefit
of the doubt and stick with his leadership and determination in
ensuring Nigeria gets the freest and fairest elections it can in 2011.

Could the logistical challenges behind the botched elections have been handled any better?

The irony is that,
after all the initial fears about the elections, the biggest problem in
the end was something as boring as logistics.

All of us with the
benefit of hindsight could have made different decisions, perhaps, but
I can’t think of many other Nigerians who would want to swap places
with him. I admire his patience, determination and resolve. I was not
in his shoes so I don’t know what I would have done differently. That
there were logistical problems was a disappointment but that INEC
managed to overcome them for April 9 is a cause for congratulation.

What is the biggest thing you are looking for in these elections?

We are not
interested in parties or the personalities but in the process. Our big
hope is that Nigeria builds on last weekend to demonstrate to the rest
of Africa, that even when democracy is hotly contested or the margin of
victory is very small, it’s possible to run a legitimate, credible and
peaceful process. That’s my hope, building on last Saturday. Yes, there
are areas that need to be addressed but my sense is that they are being
addressed.

Is Britain assisting INEC in any way?

It’s for Nigerians
to decide how to manage their democracy. It is not our policy to try
and interfere anywhere in the conduct of democracy. It is our policy,
however, to support democracy where we can. Therefore we have provided
technical assistance and limited financial support for that assistance.

We will engage with
civic society to play a role and indeed with political parties. Looking
forward, I predict political party reform will be on the agenda of
Nigerians and this is again an area in which Britain traditionally
assists. We have budgeted around 20 million pounds for democratic
programmes. Most of which is directed at election assistance. This
however does not reflect the totality of what we do.

Will Britain intervene if there are repeated signs of violence and electoral malpractice?

Well firstly, I
certainly hope it won’t come to that. However, if one sees Kenya or
Cote d’Ivoire-style intimidation and violence, then there needs to be
Kenya and Cote d’Ivoire-style justice. People who frustrate the
democratic process will be held accountable for that. One needs to only
look at what’s happening in the international criminal court in Kenya
to see the range of options that are available. My sense though, is
that we won’t be in that situation in Nigeria. A poorly conducted
election damages the legitimacy of the outcome.

We have already witnessed two serious bombings and recorded cases of shootings. At what point do you decide to intervene?

What happened in
Suleja and Maiduguri was completely unacceptable and contemptible. I
met with the Inspector General of Police just a day before the Suleja
bombing and he was clear that there should be no impunity for this kind
of extremist violence. It is a huge concern and looking ahead, we share
the anxieties of the Nigerian people. The best way to intervene is to
work with local authorities, to try and prevent and deter extremist
violence.

How strong is the current relationship between Britain and Nigeria?

Well this is my
second stint in Nigeria and I can comfortably say it has never been
better. Nigeria went through a very fragile moment when the former
president passed. But it is a moment in which Nigeria triumphed. A key
question was asked, is democracy irreversible? The answer is that yes,
it is absolutely irreversible.