Nigerians will on Saturday discuss the country’s next general elections and the preparedness of its electoral commission.
The event, slated to be held at the Shehu Musa Yar’adua Centre in Abuja, will afford Nigerians an opportunity to engage the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, on his agency’s preparation for the elections.
The hybrid event, themed ‘The Electorates,’ will be anchored by Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, a television host and presenter.
It will discuss issues around INEC‘s commitment and preparedness towards free, fair and peaceful elections.
Ahead of the Saturday event slated for 12 noon, the Executive Director of the Electoral College Nigeria, Kunle Lawal, said engagements as this are “necessary to entrench the needed proliteracy of the electorate so we can solidify the gains on this journey to a better governed nation.”
Also looking forward to the event, the Executive Director of Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), one of the organisers, Tobi Oluwatola, said the platform will offer another opportunity to foster youth participation in the electoral process.
He noted that “… effective liberal democracy requires the participation of the majority of people but also diverse interests that may not be represented by the majority. As the electoral umpire, INEC has a role to play to ensure expanded participation especially among youth. This platform provides an opportunity to motivate youth participation.”
Samson Itodo of YIAGA Africa, one of the EiE partners for the programme, expressed similar thoughts.
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