Isaack Hassan, chairman, Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundary
Commission, has said that Africa is looking up to Nigeria to conduct
credible polls.
Mr. Hassan said on Tuesday in Abuja that Nigeria remained the biggest
democratic country in Africa and would need to get it right.
“Nigeria is the biggest democratic country in Africa and it conducted
credible polls in 2011 and can do it again,” Mr. Hassan said. “We also
hope that it will consolidate on the gains of the previous election in
2015.”
The Kenyan election boss explained that the commission under his watch conducted the first general election in Kenya in 2013.
Mr. Hassan described the polls, which he conducted, as peaceful, credible, free, fair and generally acceptable.
According to him, in 2013, Kenya held six different elections in one
day, which included presidential, national assembly, governorship and
states assembly.
He said that the commission also conducted elections for special seats for women with over 13,000 female candidates contesting.
He lauded the introduction of the permanent voter cards and card
reader machines by INEC as one of the best innovations in Africa’s
elections.
Mr. Hassan called for synergy between the electoral bodies of Nigeria
and Kenya to enable them share ideas on how best to conduct elections
in accordance with global best practices.
“Electoral commissions all over the world have got areas where they
have done well in elections; so exchange of ideas is always encouraged,”
he said.
He, however, expressed optimism that in spite of all security
challenges posed by Boko Haram, Nigeria would still pull through by
conducting credible elections that would make Africans proud.
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