By Mercy Peter
The Independent National Electoral Commission, Tuesday said it does not have an account for donor fund, nor does it receive direct funding.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made the clarification when he received in audience the new Head of European Union delegation to Nigeria, Amb. Gautier Mignot.
Yakubu said donor support does not involve any direct funding of core electoral activities of the Commission.
He stressed that the activities remain the sovereign responsibility of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
He said: “I would like to seize this opportunity to clarify a matter over which there is some misunderstanding in certain quarters.
“For the record, the Commission does not receive direct funding and we do not have an account into which donor funds are warehoused. “The EU and other development partners provide indirect support in areas such as the publication of reports, retreats, engagement with stakeholders, as well as consultancy and technical support services in various areas, through the implementing partners selected and appointed by them.
“Their support does not involve any direct funding of core electoral activities of the Commission such as voter registration, production of PVCs, training and remuneration of ad hoc staff, electoral logistics, and the procurement of sensitive materials, including election technology. “These activities remain the sovereign responsibility of the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
He also told his audience of the ongoing interface
with the country’s lawmakers to facilitate the necessary review of the electoral legal framework ahead of the next General Election.
He added: : Furthermore, the Commission has already commenced work on the review of our planning tools such as the Strategic Plan and the Election Project Plan for future elections. Series of meetings have already taken place over the last couple of weeks involving our staff across the States of the Federation.”
Yakubu who appreciated the Ambassador’s visit to INEC, which happens to be the first agency he would be visiting in Nigeria since his formal assumption of duty four days ago on 24th January 2025, said it is a further affirmation of the long-standing relationship between the EU and the Commission.
He stressed that EU’s partnership with the Commission and other stakeholders since 1999 has helped to consolidate the electoral and democratic process in Nigeria.
“ There has been incremental improvement in our electoral process over the last six electoral cycles,” he added.
He also informed his guest that the since the 2023 General Election, “the Commission has received reports from many of the 206 national and foreign groups and international organisations accredited to observe the elections, including the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU-EOM) which made a total of 23 recommendations of which eight require action by the Commission and 15 by the executive, judiciary and legislative arms of government as well as other stakeholders such as civil society organisations, the media, faith-based organisations and political parties.
“For our part, the Commission undertook an extensive internal and external review of the 2023 General Election involving the participation of our own officials and stakeholders across the board. We produced a 524-page main report and a 74-page review report containing 142 recommendations. The two reports have already been uploaded to our website. We have similarly commenced the implementation of aspects of the recommendations that only require administrative action by the Commission.”
He also assured the EU team that the commission is working hard to improve other aspects of electoral operations.
“The arrival of your mid-term mission later this year will provide an opportunity for a full review of the 2023 EU-EOM report.
“We welcome the EU’s assurance of continuous engagement and collaboration with the Commission as we approach the third phase of the European Union-Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) under which funding support is provided to several institutions and groups that play a role in democracy and governance in Nigeria from INEC to the National Assembly, the judiciary, political parties, security agencies, civil society organisations, the media and the National Peace Committee. The EU Ambassador and the INEC Chairman serve as co-chairmen of the Steering Committee of the EU-SDGN initiative.”
