2023 Polls: EU’s INEC Assessment Report Sparks Reaction From Nigerian Electoral Observer
- Nigeria's election observer group, YIAGA Africa, has reacted to the European Union (EU) submissions on Nigeria's general election
- Speaking on this development, the executive director of YIAGA Africa, Samson Itodo, said the EU's report was not intended to judge the integrity of INEC
- He stated that the EU and other international bodies are aware of the challenges of elections in Nigeria
PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed!
The Executive Director of the Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth, and Advancement (YIAGA) Africa, Samson Itodo, has stated that the report on the 2023 general elections by the European Union (EU) Election Observation Mission is not a reflection of the integrity of the election outcome.
Itodo, who spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, June 27, said:
“I don’t think the intent of this report is to assess and make a judgment as to the credibility of the elections process.”
Source: Twitter
He also said Nigeria has a few things to learn from the general election in Sierra Leone.
PAY ATTENTION: Join Legit.ng Telegram channel! Never miss important updates!
Earlier, the EU Mission identified six areas for improvement in Nigeria’s electoral process and presented its recommendations to the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu.
YIAGA Africa welcomes EU's recommendation on electoral process
Speaking on the development, Itodo noted that the EU’s verdict is a welcome development, adding that the issues highlighted are not new to the international community.
The YIAGA Africa's director said that the country already has an existing bilateral relationship with the international communities and does not exist in isolation in its dealings.
He said:
“There is nothing wrong with the timing of the European Union’s postmortem report on Nigeria’s 2023 elections.
“The EU has a comprehensive framework for measuring and assessing elections based on certain values and principles that the country in our electoral law and constitution have set for ourselves.”
According to him, the reports coinciding with the election judicial process are not to influence the cases in court.
He said:
“I don’t think that the intention is to influence the current cases being handled by the court, it is not in any way an attempt to interfere with that process; it is just part of the practice in the election observation ecosystem.”
2023 polls: INEC flopped, election lacked trust, transparency, says EU
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Independent National Electoral Commission's (INEC) electoral credibility has again been questioned.
The European Union, in its election observation report released on Tuesday, June 27, says the 2023 polls lacked transparency and trust of the electorates.
The supranational political and economic union said the process of selecting the leadership of INEC is not democratic.
Source: Legit.ng
