2027: Nigeria has opportunity to show, operate strong democracy — UK envoy.
•We’ll conduct credible, inclusive polls — INEC BRITISH High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Pete Vowles, has urged Nigeria to use the 2027 polls to show the world how a strong democracy should operate.
Vowles, who said he had been in Nigeria for eight weeks, spoke during a courtesy visit to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, national headquarters, Abuja, yesterday, which he said was primarily to familiarise himself with INEC’s operations and the preparations for the elections.
Vowles underscored the importance of Nigeria’s democracy to its citizens, the West African sub-region and the international community, describing the forthcoming elections as an important opportunity for Nigeria to demonstrate how a strong democracy could function in a large and diverse country.
“The reason I suppose that we wanted a courtesy call is perhaps an obvious one, but just the recognition of how much Nigeria’s democracy matters to Nigeria, to 240 million Nigerians, to the region and to the world. “I guess as a foreigner in your country, recognising the importance of Nigeria’s democracy globally is such an important thing. So, I wanted to recognise that, and the opportunity to understand the operations and the preparations for Nigeria’s elections. “I would probably say that in our conversation, we talked about how the forthcoming elections are a really important opportunity for Nigeria to showcase to the world how a strong democracy in a large, diverse country should operate,” the envoy said.
MSEApp News is publishing an original rewrite of this tip for readers, based on reporting associated with Vanguard Politics.