Speaker House of Representatives Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, has urged election observer missions and monitors in Nigeria to get balanced views from stakeholders before concluding on the outcome of the forthcoming general elections.
Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, was speaking when a delegation of the European Union EU Election Observation Mission to Nigeria visited him at the National Assembly in Abuja.
The Speaker told the delegation that reports on election outcomes could only reflect what truly transpired when observer missions engaged with multiple stakeholders at different capacity.
He maintained that being a multi-ethnic, cultural and multi-religious country, people would naturally have different biases and opinions that represented their interests and might not necessarily be correct.
Mr Gbajabiamila, also confirmed that about 18 political parties contesting various elective positions stressing that its important for the mission to speak to party stakeholders as this would help shape the reliability of any report on election outcomes this year.
He assured the delegation that Nigeria was fully prepared for the elections by making electoral law in place for the process to be successful.
“We are prepared for it, and those saddled with the responsibility, from Mr. President, the National Assembly, INEC, the political parties, to all the other stakeholders along the chain, we are all ready to make the votes count.”
He also told the delegation that the use of technology this time around was an added advantage, which INEC would deploy to fast-track the process.
Earlier, leader of the EU mission Mr Barry Andrews, expressed the EU Mission’s happiness for being part of the foreign observers invited to monitor the polls, just as it had done inprevious occasions.
Mr Andrews, assured the speaker that the body has a reliable data-collection methodology to give a report on the outcome of the polls without any hindrances.
He added that the body would formally unveil its work plan at a news conference on Monday in Abuja, while it would release a preliminary report on the elections two days after the conclusion of voting.
COV/ TSIBIRI
