Nigerian Senate President, Ahmad Lawan has said the forthcoming general elections will be the best ever in Nigeria.
Lawan expressed this optimism on Tuesday while hosting a delegation of the European Union election observers and former Kenyan Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, during separate courtesy visits.
Odinga was in Nigeria at the instance of the Management of the Leadership newspapers for their Annual Conference and Awards to be held in Abuja on Tuesday.
The Senate President told his guests that the National Assembly had worked very hard to provide the necessary support to the electoral agency, Independent National Electoral Commission by enacting the needed legislation to guide the electoral environment for the polls, Ola Awoniyi, Special Adviser (Media) to the Senate President said in a statement on Tuesday.
Receiving the EU delegation led by Thomas Boserup, Deputy Chief Observer, the Senate President said: “The general elections this year will be probably the best. This is because we worked so hard in the National Assembly to produce a very good document to guide electoral environment in Nigeria.
as uncertain, especially in developing countries and Africa in particular.
“Many things are suspended. Everybody will tell you after the elections are over. Why? Because people fear that elections will bring violence and so much uncertainty.
“I think we need to continue to work to ensure that our elections are peaceful, credible, that the integrity test that we need to push our elections should give us every hope and give our people every hope that their votes count.
“I think with more certainty around our election periods, people will see election periods as those normal activities, that you can just go and vote and continue with your other activities. But we have to work hard to ensure that people don’t see election periods as periods of violence.
“I want to commend you and congratulate you for working to ensure the Kenyan democracy is peaceful and stable.
“I must commend you for the stance you took in the recent election outcome in Kenya. You are an African patriot and you are an African democrat and a leader.
“In 2022, the National Assembly passed the Electoral Act (amendment) which Mr President signed and we introduced so many innovations.
“We gave INEC so much powers and for it to introduce technology in the elections so that we reduce subjectivity, possibility of rigging and some unwholesome attitude of some politicians or their agents.
“And we believe that the 2023 elections will have the best and highest quality of election processes than the previous ones. Our hope is that the outcome will be a reflection of the will of Nigerians.”
