This general election will be Nigeria’s best ever, says Lawan

Senate President Ahmad Lawan says the forthcoming elections will “probably be the best” in the country’s history.

Lawan spoke on Tuesday when he hosted an EU delegation led by Thomas Boserup, deputy chief observer, in Abuja.

The senate president said the national assembly worked hard to ensure it produced the Electoral Act to guide the processes.

He said the use of the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) would reduce electoral fraud.

“The general elections this year will probably be the best. This is because we worked so hard in the national assembly to produce a very good document to guide the electoral environment in Nigeria,” he said.

“The thing that motivates us more is what we have been able to give to INEC. I think INEC is a princely institution. We have always prioritised INEC.

“We believe that INEC shouldn’t be in want. Where INEC makes a request, we believe we should always give INEC what our country can afford.

“Where we are able to give everything, we should do so. If we have to meet INEC halfway, we must have a strong reason to do so. This is because we don’t want any excuse from INEC.

“We want INEC to perform very well. We want the elections in 2023 to be very credible and very transparent and with the introduction of BVAS, we believe we can achieve that feat.”

In a separate meeting with former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Lawan commended him for his role in the recent election of his country.

“I must commend you for the stance you took in the recent election outcome in Kenya. You are an African patriot and you are an African democrat and a leader,” he said.