The Chairperson of Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it is the responsibility of all stakeholders in the country to ensure that its elections are peaceful, fair and credible.
As Nigeria prepares for the 2015 elections, the Chairperson of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the country’s election management body, Professor Attahiru Jega, has said that it is the responsibility of all stakeholders in the country to play their roles to ensure that the poll is peaceful, fair and credible.
Speaking during a visit to The Commonwealth headquarters in London on 30 January, Professor Jega said: "We (INEC) have been strengthening our relationships with the key stakeholders in the electoral process, such as political parties, civil society organisations, the media and others, to build trust and address mutual concerns. Ensuring credible elections is not just what INEC does, but what all of us do."
Professor Jega said that INEC had learnt from the experiences of the previous elections and is prepared to conduct “remarkably better elections in 2015".
He said that in conducting reforms in how to improve management of elections, INEC found useful recommendations from reports of election observers including the Commonwealth Observer Group that was present for the country’s polls in 2011.
“The Commonwealth Observer Group report was very beneficial to us. It helped us to deepen areas where we did well, and to identify some areas that require improvement as we prepare for the 2015 elections.”
The Director of Political Affairs at the Commonwealth Secretariat, Amitav Banerji, thanked Professor Jega for his active participation in Commonwealth activities, including as a member of the steering committee of the Commonwealth Election Network and as an election observer.
Mr Banerji said the Commonwealth will continue to work with INEC to support its efforts aimed at strengthening the institution.
