Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has expressed confidence in the ability of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct free, fair and credible elections in the country.
The ruling party also shared similar optimism that the country’s judiciary has the capacity to resolve disputes that may arise from the election process.
The party’s acting National Chairman, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, who made the disclosure when he received a 2019 election exploratory delegation of the European Union to the party’s national secretariat in Abuja yesterday, said the party is ready for the forthcoming 2019 general election.
Adebayo, who is the party’s Deputy National Chairman (South), thanked the EU for its longstanding interest and developmental support for the country’s electioneering process.
On APC’s assessment of the country’s election management body and the justice system ahead of the elections, Adebayo expressed confidence in INEC’s ability to conduct free, fair and credible elections and the judiciary to resolve disputes that may arise from the election process.
The European Delegation Exploratory Team Leader, Nicolay Paus, who spoke on behalf of the delegation, said the team had already met with other election stakeholders in the country to recommend whether the EU would deploy election observers to monitor the 2019 general election or not.
“We have met with a range of electoral stakeholders, including INEC, some political parties, ministries of foreign affairs and information, civil society and some of the international organisations working on electoral support”.
