2023: INEC won’t fail Nigeria, international community, Yakubu assures

• …Says commission will continue to improve on its electoral process

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

With eighty-one days to the next year’s general elections in the country, the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu has assured that the Commission will not fail the nation and the international community.

Prof Yakubu vowed that INEC will continue to make incremental improvement to its electoral process supported by the deployment of appropriate and relevant technology that will make voter accreditation and result management more credible and transparent.

The INEC Chairman made the pledge yesterday at a meeting with a delegation from the United Nation’s Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) in his office in Abuja.

The delegation was led by Ms Giovanie Biha, who is Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for UNOWAS.

According to Yakubu, “With just 81 days to the 2023 General Election, we have made tremendous progress in our preparations so far.

“This is the 7th consecutive General Election since the restoration of democracy in Nigeria in 1999.

“We are aware of the importance of our elections to Nigeria, our sub-region and the world.

“We assure you that the Commission will not fail the nation and the international community.

“We will continue to make incremental improvement to our electoral process supported by the deployment of appropriate and relevant technology that will make voter accreditation and result management more credible and transparent”, he said.

The INEC Chairman lauded the United Nation’s Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) over its work in the areas of preventive diplomacy, political mediation and facilitation in the sub-region and Sahel.

The work of UNOWAS, Yakubu pointed out, were very critical conditions for peace.

While saying that the Election Management Bodies are major beneficiaries of the work of UNOWAS, the INEC Chairman said, “This is because elections and electoral activities cannot be successfully conducted in an atmosphere of violence.

“For this reason, INEC always appreciates the role of UNOWAS in our sub-region and the Sahel”, he said.

Continuing, Yakubu said, “At different fora, Electoral Commissions in West Africa and beyond have expressed concern about the impact of prevailing insecurity on the conduct of elections, particularly with regard to insurgency, banditry and other forms of armed conflict.

“Consequently, a 9-nation conference of Electoral Commissions and election experts is holding this week in Ouagadougou involving the host, Burkina Faso, as well as Benin Republic, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo from West Africa; and the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo from Central Africa. Nigeria will be making two presentations at the Conference.

“We believe that your visit today will not only encourage us in our determination to conduct credible, transparent, inclusive and verifiable elections but we will also share the outcome of our discussion with colleagues from other electoral commissions in West Africa and beyond.

 ‘Since your arrival in Nigeria, we have followed your engagements with stakeholders. In particular, we appreciate your fervent appeal for support to the efforts of INEC to conduct peaceful elections”, he said.