The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has said INEC would work with its partners for free, fair, credible, and inclusive elections in the country.

Yakubu stated that INEC has already sent letters to international organisations such as the United Nations, European Union, Commonwealth, the African Union, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to deploy observers for the 2023 general election.

The INEC chairman made this known while speaking at the closure of Phase I and Launch of Phase II of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) held at the International Conference Centre in Abuja on Monday.

He said the commission was a key beneficiary of the first phase of the EU-SDGN programme conceived under the National Indicative Programme 2014-2020.

He stated that INEC, under the programme implemented by the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES), received various support mainly in the areas of training and capacity building for the commission’s staff, engagement with stakeholders, voter education and public enlightenment, and the promotion of inclusivity.

Yakubu stated that the support helped INEC to complement its efforts at strengthening “our organisational and planning capacity, improvement of our internal and external communication, more frequent consultation with stakeholders and advocacy for increased participation in the electoral process.

“The combination of these actions and activities not only enhanced public confidence in the commission but also provided valuable assistance in strengthening the integrity and credibility of the electoral process.

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“A major achievement in this regard is the progressive provisions of the Electoral Act 2022, especially the deployment of technology for voter accreditation and result management at polling unit level.”

The INEC added: “I wish to reassure you that the commission will work together with the consortium of partners to implement the support to the INEC component of the EU-SDGN II. We will also continue to create the enabling environment to facilitate the work of the partners for the successful implementation of the programme.

“The choice of the partners signifies a vote of confidence in their capacity to undertake actions and implement activities that are critical to promoting the institutionalisation of democratic norms in our country. We will work with the implementing partners for free, fair, credible and inclusive elections.

“I wish to reiterate here that the core costs of our electoral activities, including the acquisition of sensitive and non-sensitive materials for all elections, remain the sovereign responsibility of Federal Government of Nigeria.”

Yakubu further stated that INEC would continue to welcome the deployment of international and domestic election observers in line with the commission’s guidelines, noting that the electoral umpire considered the deployment of election observers as a means of enhancing public confidence and trust in Nigeria’s elections.

“Their recommendations have been especially useful in reviewing our processes and the introduction of some of the progressive reforms in our electoral legal framework in line with global good practices.

“To this end, the commission has already sent out letters to such international organisations such as the United Nations, European Union, Commonwealth, the African Union and ECOWAS inviting them to deploy observation missions for the 2023 general election.

“Very soon, advertisement will be placed in national newspapers and the commission’s website to invite applications from interested domestic organisations to observe the same election.

“The commission will continue to work with the EU, our development partners and all electoral stakeholders to ensure the sustainability of our electoral reforms in order to protect the integrity and guarantee the credibility of election outcomes based on the rule of law and the will of the electorate,” he added.

The Star