The Secretary-General of the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) Switzerland, Prof. Rafał Marcin Wasik has commended the accreditation of IHRC by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as a Foreign Election Observer to observe the 2023 general elections in Nigeria.
The Secretary-General in a statement made available by the Ambassador at Large and Head of the Diplomatic Mission to Nigeria, Ambassador Dr. Duru Hezekiah, asserted that “today, the International Human Rights Commission Switzerland received an invitation from the Federal Republic of Nigeria to join other International and Intergovernmental Organizations to help observe the 2023 general elections in Nigeria”.
“I am glad and I wish to especially thank the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR for ensuring policies and practices for International communities to participate in a critical time of Nigeria’s transition, as well as I urge him to strengthen the adequate provision of security to further deepen democracy”.
“You may know that election observation remains a valuable tool for improving the quality of elections and an important mechanism for ensuring election integrity in countries; through our observation IHRC seek to detect any infractions in the electoral process, providing concerned bodies with remarks on the progress of the electoral process and decisions taken while guaranteeing the integrity and neutrality of the electoral process.
For this reason, IHRC as a Diplomatic Member of the Migration and Home Affairs Department of the European Commission, the Executive Civil Service of the European Union, shall strengthen diplomatic ties, enhance the justice system, foster practices for peaceful democracy transition, ensure that eligible citizens have the opportunity to participate and have a voice in how they will be governed through elections.
Rafał maintained that IHRC has played critical roles in the transition to the democratic process in different countries including Africa, helping to build public confidence in the honesty of electoral processes.
While I commend INEC for approving our request for this imperative assignment, the responsibility reposed on our Organization to protect the civil and political rights of participants in elections, deterring errors or weak electoral practices, continue to support the process of transition, democratization, and equality remain unwavering.
