The United States of America, on Tuesday, December 18, said, through its consulate’s public affairs officer, Russell Brooks, it hopes the Nigerian government presided over by Muhammadu Buhari would conduct what can be adjudged free, fair and credible general elections in 2019.

Brooks stated this in Port Harcourt, Rivers state during an interactive session with journalists on the 2019 general elections. He said the US would take serious actions against anybody that perpetrates violence in the forthcoming Nigeria’s elections and urged the Nigerian government and other stakeholders to make sure that the 2019 elections are free, fair and violence-free.

According to the report, Brooks said the US is concerned about the conducts of free, fair, credible and transparent polls in Nigeria. He expressed hope that the 2019 elections would make a positive difference even as he tasked the electorate in Nigeria to ask their representatives why there was an increase in electoral violence and proliferation of arms during election periods.

He warned that the US government could not solve Nigeria’s problem since the citizens are in better position to handle their challenges. He further challenges the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to liaise with the US government on how to have a violent-free election in 2019.