By TINA TIMOTHY

As Nigeria prepares for the 2023 polls, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that it has made tremendous preparations and would not fail to conduct the 7th consecutive general election since democracy was restored in 1999, in the next 81 days.

INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this while delivering his remarks at a meeting with the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), held at INEC headquarters, Abuja, on Monday December 5, 2022.

The meeting which had in attendance, the Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), National Commissioners of INEC, the Secretary to the Commission, the Director-General of the Electoral Institute, Directors, other Senior Officials of the Commissions and the Media, amongst others.

“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,” Professor Yakubu said.

The INEC chairman also appreciated the UN representative for her presence and support in “the areas of voter education, capacity-building and support to our Election Monitoring Support Centre (EMSC) through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).” He also thanked UNOWAS for support in areas such as “preventive diplomacy, political mediation and facilitation in West Africa and the Sahel,” adding that these conditions were critical for peace to thrive as no election would be successful in an atmosphere of violence.

He said: “Let me first of all welcome the Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel and Chair of the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission, Ms. Giovanie Biha, to the Commission. We are immensely honoured by your presence today in the same way that we were privileged to host two of your predecessors, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, who visited us twice before the last General Election in 2019 and, most recently, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, who was here in June this year.

“Your visit today is part of the long-standing relationship with UNOWAS in particular and the United Nations in general. Not long ago, the Secretary-General deployed the United Nations Needs Assessment Mission (NAM) to Nigeria, in addition to the sustained support in the areas of voter education, capacity-building and support to our Election Monitoring Support Centre (EMSC) through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

“For UNOWAS, we appreciate your work in the areas of preventive diplomacy, political mediation and facilitation in West Africa and the Sahel. These are critical conditions for peace. Election Management Bodies are major beneficiaries of your work. 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.

“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. 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 added.