The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mohamoud Yakubu has reiterated the Commission’s commitment to the conduct of a free, fair and credible elections in 2023.
The Chairman gave the assurance through a open letter written to Nigerians on Wednesday.
According to him, “The Commission’s allegiance is to Nigeria and Nigerians who want free, fair, credible and verifiable elections supported by technology, which guarantees transparent accreditation and upload of polling unit results for citizens to view in real-time on Election Day. It is for these reasons that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) were introduced. There is no going back on the deployment of BVAS and IReV for the 2023 General Election”.
“Over the last 23 years, we have made a steady progress in the twin areas of electoral reform and election administration. Although a lot of work still lies ahead, it is generally acknowledged that our elections are getting better and citizens’ confidence in the process is increasing.”
Furthermore, the Chairman said the Commission will continue its regular engagement with political parties, civil society organisations, the media and other critical stakeholders. “Nigerians deserve the right to know about the progress we are making and the challenges (if any) we confront in our preparations for the General Election. Accordingly, in a couple of weeks, the Commission will start bi-weekly media briefings followed by weekly briefings as we get closer to the election. In the week leading to the election, there will be daily briefings.”
Prof Yakubu seized the opportunity to call on all citizens to participate fully in all electoral activities, particularly the ongoing display of the Register of Voters for claims and objections, as well as collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs).
Also, he called on political parties and political leaders to conduct their campaigns peacefully, eschewing divisiveness, rancour and violence.
“As Nigerians are aware, election is a multi-stakeholder activity. We wilI continue to play our part diligently and conscientiously. We appeal to all stakeholders and, above all, citizens to play their own part so that working together, we can have the elections that Nigerians yearn for, and which the world expects from us,” he added.
