The Economic Community of West Africa States, ECOWAS, has expressed concerns over Nigeria’s preparedness for the 2023 general election.
The group’s concern becomes imperative as it believes the outcome will affect the entire continent.
It stated this when a delegation of ECOWAS Pre-Election Fact Finding Mission to Nigeria led by former Chairman Electoral Commission of Ghana, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, visited the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, headquarters.
Speaking on behalf of the delegation, the Director of Political Affairs, ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Remi Ajibewa, said they were in Nigeria on a fact-finding mission ahead of the 2023 polls in line with ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol 2021 to observe elections in Nigeria.
According to Ajibewa, Articles 11, 12 and 13 of the protocol mandated the Commission to deploy electoral fact-finding missions to every member state of ECOWAS about to conduct elections, especially presidential polls.
He said: “We all know the importance Nigeria holds given the fact that, as they used to say, if Nigeria sneezes, the whole West Africa catches cold and we don’t pray that will be the result. So, we are here to listen to you, to see the area of challenges that we might also report.”
Responding, the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, assured the ECOWAS delegation that the 2023 general elections will be technology-driven to enhance its success.
“Let me restate the commitment of INEC Nigeria free, fair, and credible elections driven by technology. The 2023 general election in Nigeria will be driven by technology not only as a matter of legal requirement but also as a matter of course, for us in the commission.
“So, I want to ensure the ECOWAS team that we are committed to delivering a credible election in the next four months and a few days, which will be Nigeria’s seventh successive elections, since the restoration of democracy in 1999,” Yakubu said.