The EU Ambassador to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Samuela Isopi, has said a total of €39 million has been budgeted for the Nigerian election project through the EU Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) Programme. According to Ambassador Isopi, the overall objective of the EU-SDGN is to foster a functioning pluralistic, inclusive, participatory and representative democracy in Nigeria.
She said that inclusive, participatory and transparent elections are a prerequisite for a strong democracy. “Ahead of the 2023 general election, Nigeria is at a pivotal moment that allows the country to take important steps to consolidate democracy and strengthen the electoral process, the EU continues to partner with Nigeria in the on-going reform process with a view to strengthening the capacity to conduct well-managed elections and with ample participation of all Nigerians. She added.
She said that the recommendations of the EU Election Observation Mission were made after the 2019 General Election as well as those of the EU Election Follow-up Mission to Nigeria, more specifically, it would focus on six thematic areas of support. On the card, according to her is to improve the quality of electoral administration in Nigeria, strengthen capacities for legislative and judicial reform in compliance with democratic principles and standards,enhance pluralism, internal democracy and equality of opportunity in the political parties and the political party system and the empowerment of the media, including new media, to promote fair and ethical coverage of the electoral process and combat hate speech and disinformation.
The Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, commended the EU for sustaining the project. He noted, INEC was a key beneficiary of the first phase of the programme conceived under the National Indicative Programme 2014 – 2020.
According to him, under the programme implemented by the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES), the Commission received various support mainly in the areas of training and capacity building for our staff, engagement with stakeholders, voter education and public enlightenment and the promotion of inclusivity. He further said that the support went a long way to complement the Commission’s efforts at strengthening 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 Chairman also said that 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, a major achievement in this regard was the progressive provisions of the Electoral Act 2022, especially the deployment of technology for voter accreditation and result management at polling unit level.
He stated “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”. According to him, 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 the country for free, fair, credible and inclusive elections.
