Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential risk that the election in Nigeria on 25 February 2022 will be (a) postponed and (b) have its results voided as a result of insecurity.

The country faces multiple, complex security challenges. The ability to deliver free, fair and safe elections on 25 February 2023, is a significant test for Nigerian democracy. The Nigerian Independent National Electoral Commission has prepared a number of measures to ensure it can deliver polls that reflect the will of the Nigerian people. The UK have provided them with over £2 million since 2019 to improve their institutional capacity and processes, including funding new technology, strategic planning and a new logistics framework. We continue to provide support to civil society to improve transparency and voter education using new provisions in the 2022 Electoral Act.