BREAKING: Yakubu Reacts To Claim That INEC Received Funding From International Partners For 2023 Elections

BREAKING: Yakubu Reacts To Claim That INEC Received Funding From International Partners For 2023 Elections

Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has refuted the notion that the election umpire received funds directly from international development partners.

He made this clarification during a meeting with civil society organizations (CSOs) to review the 2023 general election.

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Earlier, an aide to Atiku Abubakar, the flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the February 25 presidential election, claimed that the federal government received €39 million from the European Union (EU) for the election and accused the government of rigging.

However, Yakubu stated that international partners did not directly contribute to the election. Instead, their support was provided indirectly through civil society organizations and implementing partners working on elections.

He emphasized that the present commission has a long-standing policy of not receiving direct funding and cash transfers from sources other than the federal government of Nigeria.

Yakubu acknowledged the productive partnership with civil society and development partners and highlighted the importance of accrediting observers.

The feedback and actionable recommendations from observers have been valuable to the electoral process.

For the 2023 general election, INEC received 538 requests for accreditation as observers, with 228 groups meeting the requirements for accreditation.

However, only 67 observer groups have submitted their reports so far, representing about 30% of the accredited groups for the election. INEC urged all accredited observer groups that are yet to submit their reports to do so promptly.