Samson Itodo to speak at democratic event in Washington DC

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) has selected Samson Itodo, executive director of YIAGA AFRICA and convener of the Not Too Young To Run movement, as one of the speakers at a programme to commemorate its 35th anniversary.

Itodo is among the four young representatives around the world selected to speak at the event scheduled for Andrew W. MellonAuditorium in Washington, D.C .

Speaking on the theme “Reaffirming Democracy”, Itodo will share perspectives on how YIAGA AFRICA’s work advances the promise of a truly inclusive democracy in Nigeria and beyond.

According to a statement by YIAGA, Itodo will be sharing the stage with democracy activists from Iran and Russia.

Guests expected at the event include members of congress, members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of the international policy and non-profit communities, as well as the private sector.

Also, Itodo is billed to speak at a briefing on the 2019 elections tagged “Watching Nigeria Vote in 2019: Building Integrity through Election Observation”.

The event is scheduled to hold on December 7.

Other speakers at the event are Pauline Baker, John Tomaszewaki, president emeritus, Fund for Peace, Pat Merloe, regional director for Africa, International Republican Institute (IRI), Sophie Moestrup, senior associate and director for election programmes

“Itodo will provide critical analysis of issues shaping the 2019 elections as well as the state of preparations of different electoral stakeholders from a civil society perspective,” the statement read.

“He will share findings from the YIAGA AFRICA Watching The Vote pre-election findings and discuss preparations for the deployment of the parallel vote tabulation in the forthcoming election.”