The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu has assured that the Commission is committed to consolidating on the successes of the 2015 general elections. He further expressed determination to make the 2019 elections better.

Prof. Yakubu gave the assurance when he received the new United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Stuart Symington at the INEC Headquarters in Abuja.

The INEC Chair stated that “after the 2015 elections, there were jubilations on the streets, which gave credence to the achievement of the Commission and the steps that Nigeria has taken towards consolidating its democracy.

He said: “The 2015 general elections was a defining moment in the history of Nigerian democracy, and we want to assure you that the Commission is conscious of its responsibility and we are committed to making future elections even better”.

Prof.  Yakubu explained that the Commission has set in motion plans for the 2019 elections through the development of the 2017-2021 Strategic Plan of Action; the cleaning up of the register of voters; and the commencement of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration  exercise across the 774 local governments in the country.

The Chairman further hinted that the fixing of the dates of the 2019 general elections and the tremendous improvements in the use of technology by the Commission were significant milestones towards the successful conduct of future elections.

He however restated the Commission’s commitment towards the promotion of existing cordial relationship with the U.S embassy, stressing that INEC would continue to work closely with the embassy to strengthen the country’s democracy and electoral process.

Earlier in his remarks, the U.S Ambassador, Symington explained that his visit was to learn more about the conduct of elections in Nigeria and commended the Commission for the success of the 2015 general elections.

The envoy noted that conducting such widely accepted elections had affirmed Nigeria’s leading role in Africa. He said  that the popular views across the world on the 2015 general elections was that the elections were conducted in the atmosphere of peace imposed by a wind of hope.

1“So, the combination of peace, hope and comfort seems to me a sort of key that is needed, going forward”, he said.