Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams showed up in Nigeria this week to “observe” the nation’s election, despite her history of rejecting the results of her 2018 campaign and refusing to concede.
Abrams travelled as part of a joint effort between the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute, according to Al Jazeera senior correspondent Mohammed Jamjoom.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Abrams said that there was a lot of energy on the ground and that voters were cooperative with the process. She claimed that voters in the election want change and don’t believe their concerns are being taken seriously by the current government. (RELATED: Stacey Abrams’ ‘Voter Suppression’ Lawsuit Attacks Legislation She Sponsored)
“We have seen orderly lines. We have seen long lines, signaling strong enthusiasm. But we’ve also seen a great deal of cooperation and a very peaceful conversation among voters,” Abrams said. “They want to be heard, and they are willing to stand in line and have patience because they know that’s their path to progress.”
Abrams said that young voters in Nigeria don’t feel seen by their current government.
Covering the #NigeriaElections2023, I spoke with @staceyabrams on @AJEnglish about what she has seen so far in #Abuja as Co-Leader of the joint @NDI @IRIglobal international observer mission. Here’s part of that interview ⬇️#NigeriaDecides pic.twitter.com/kpYOfpxNBY
— Mohammed Jamjoom (@MIJamjoom) February 25, 2023
“What they’ve said almost uniformly is they want to be heard. They believe progress is possible. They believe that more is possible. They understand that they are the most assailed by unemployment, that the challenges they face are real, but that so is the opportunity for change.”
Stacey Abrams is noted for her repeated denial of the results of the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election, which she lost. Abrams claimed that voter suppression took away her rightful win. In 2018, she refused to concede, saying, “I will not concede because the erosion of our democracy is not right.” She also said, “It was not a free and fair election.”
Abrams also claimed nefarious actions on behalf of her opponents. “I didn’t lose. I got the votes. But we won’t know exactly how many because of how they cheated,” Abrams said. She stated that her alleged victory is “based on empirical evidence.”
In 2021, she told Sen. Ted Cruz, the election “was stolen from the voters of Georgia.”