Commonwealth urges Nigerians to ensure fair, credible elections

Alice Babalola — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 13:50:44 +0000

The Commonwealth Observation Group has called on parties, candidates, and their supporters to play their roles to ensure fair and credible elections.

The observation mission says that Nigerians can cast their ballots without restriction on Saturday during the presidential and national assembly elections.

At a news conference in Abuja on Monday, Thabo Mbeki, a former South African president, made the appeal.

He said the results would be important for Nigeria and the entire continent, noting that the polls will be Africa’s biggest democratic exercise.

The delegation’s head urged all parties to remain committed to securing a fair and inclusive election.

The Commonwealth wants citizens to be “able to freely exercise their right to vote, with the fundamental freedoms of expression, association and assembly fully respected”.

Mbeki said the group’s mandate is to observe and assess the pre-election period, activities on polling day and the post-election period.

The team will consider all factors relating to the credibility of the electoral process and assess whether the elections are conducted according to the standards.

“As we undertake this assessment and conduct our duties, we will be objective, independent and impartial,” Mbeki added.

The mission will receive briefings from the electoral authorities, parties, the media and civil society groups representing women, youth and people with disabilities.

An estimated 93.4 million registered voters will have the right to cast ballots for presidential and national assembly candidates in 176,846 polling units across Nigeria.

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Commonwealth urges Nigerians to ensure fair, credible elections