2019 polls: Yakubu assures international community of INEC’s impartiality

…EU Ambassadors charge stakeholders on fair conduct The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has assured the international community of the Commission’s impartiality in the conduct of the 2019 general elections. He said the Commission will ensure that all processes leading to the polls and post- election processes which include transmission, collation and announcement of election results will be credible, transparent and acceptable to all stakeholders and the international community. Yakubu made the commitment on Wednesday while playing host to a delegation of European Union Ambassadors at INEC secretariat, Abuja. Assuring that “INEC will not fail the international community”, the chairman appreciated the European Union in particular for being supportive of INEC in the processes and implementation of plans and infrastructure supply. “Votes will count in 2019. We are committed to free and fair elections. 2015 was not a fluke, it was results of efforts of deliberate planning but 2019 will be an improvement “, he said. Leader of delegation and European Union Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador Ketil Karlsen, charged stakeholders concerned in election processes to ensure fair conduct in line with constitutional guidelines and Electoral laws. He said the European Union is committed to free, fair and credible polls but not partisan in its involvement and interaction with different organisations. Karlsen said: “The EU have been playing credible roles in past elections in Nigeria. We are not partisan, we are here not to support any particular candidate, political party or ideology. “We are here to support continuation of democracy in Nigeria and we want to say that EU will continue to partner with any government in power in every sector of human development”. The new British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, encouraged INEC to maintain its credibility in election management and non- partisanship. She said the United Kingdom has been providing technical support to INEC in the past and will continue to do to ensure credible polls. Representative of the United States Ambassador in Nigeria, David Young, appreciated INEC leadership and its activities so far in preparation for the 2019 elections. He charged the Nigerian security agencies to provide adequate security cover for voters, INEC officials and election materials during and after the election. Young said the neutrality of security services is very essential to the credibility of election. He called on Nigerian government to respect the independence of the judiciary and judicial officers in the country. Representative of the German Ambassador, Regine Hess, called on Nigerians to avoid hate speech, advised other stakeholders to be civil in their conduct. She called on Nigerian women to actively participate in election while she expressed hope that the Electoral process will be suitable for persons living with disability. The European Ambassadors joined the INEC leadership to commission the newly built Election Monitoring and Support Centre sponsored by the European Union. Tunde Opalana, Abuja