Whereas it is in the best interest of the United States to maintain a strong bilateral relationship with a politically stable, democratic, and economically sound Nigeria that can play a leadership role in the region and the continent more broadly; Whereas Nigeria has presidential elections scheduled for February 16, 2019, and gubernatorial and National Assembly elections scheduled for March 2, 2019; Whereas credible elections could further consolidate democratic gains achieved in Nigeria over the last two decades since the transition from military to civilian democratic rule; Whereas a 2017 survey conducted by Afrobarometer found that 72 percent of Nigerians agreed that democratic elections are the best means of choosing their country’s leaders, thus indicating that the country’s citizens are deeply committed to democracy; Whereas collaboration between civil society actors and the international community was a key factor that contributed to successful elections in 2015; Whereas successive elections in Nigeria have featured varying degrees of violence; Whereas there have been deeply concerning instances of hate speech in Nigeria by members of both the ruling coalition and the opposition inciting supporters to ethnic violence as a means by which to gain electoral advantage, intimidate electoral rivals, or suppress voter turnout; Whereas, during the Ekiti and Osun gubernatorial elections in July 2018 and September 2018, respectively, there were concerning incidents in which some elements of Nigeria’s security agencies displayed partisanship and a lack of objectivity, which risks escalating tensions within the country; Whereas Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has improved the voting process, notably through the introduction of continuous voter registration, the adoption of simultaneous accreditation and voting, improvements to the secrecy of the ballot, and the advancement of smart card reader technology