The United Kingdom (UK) has disclosed that it spent more than £50million to support electoral processes in Nigeria in the last five years.
Sam Waldock, Head of Governance and Stability, UK Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office, spoke at a retreat of the Joint Technical Committee on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2020 in Abuja.
Waldock said his country was a proud supporter of Nigeria’s democratic process.
“In the last five years, the UK had invested over £50million into Nigeria’s democratic process. We recognise Nigeria as the largest democracy in Africa, and a leading member of the Commonwealth of nations.
“It will therefore be good to have a robust comprehensive system in place far ahead of the general election so that adequate preparations could be made,” The Nation quoted him as saying.
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, hailed the National Assembly for working out a new legal framework for conduct of elections.
Represented by the National Commissioner for Voter Education, Festus Okoye, Yakubu said the reform must be impactful and should be concluded by the first quarter of 2021.
He assured that INEC was committed to the process of the amendment and would make recommendations that would improve elections.
“However, it must be borne in mind that amending the electoral legal framework will not automatically guarantee or lead to improvement in the management and conduct of elections”, Yakubu noted.
