… as Abdulsalam rallies support for INEC By Omeiza Ajayi, Abuja The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has reassured Nigerians that their votes will count in the forthcoming 2027 General Election. This was as former Head of State and Chairman of the National Peace Committee (NPC), General Abdulsalam Abubakar (retd.), called on Nigerians to rally support behind the Commission ahead of the polls. INEC, in its daily bulletin, said the assurance was given by its Chairman, Prof.
Joash Amupitan, SAN, during a courtesy call on General Abubakar at his residence in Minna, Niger State, on Friday, where he led a delegation comprising National Commissioners, the Secretary to the Commission, Directors, and Technical Aides of the Chairman. Amupitan as describing General Abubakar as the father of democracy in Nigeria, noting that his transition to civilian rule in 1999 marked a defining moment in the country’s democratic history. He said the Commission regarded the former Head of State not merely as a statesman but as a pillar of support for INEC.
The INEC chairman commended General Abubakar’s role as chairman of the National Peace Committee, describing his peace accord initiative as a moralizing influence on Nigeria’s political ecosystem that had, over the years, provided political actors with a platform to commit to non-violence, thereby strengthening the sovereignty of the will of the Nigerian people. He described the visit as a pilgrimage of appreciation for General Abubakar’s contributions to peaceful coexistence, peaceful elections, and democratic stability in the country and further congratulated him on his recent 84th birthday anniversary. Amupitan told the former head of state that regardless of the pressures confronting the commission, INEC remained committed to ensuring that the will of the Nigerian people, as expressed at the election, would prevail.
He said the commission’s determination under his leadership was to see ordinary Nigerians go out and vote, confident that their votes would be duly counted and reflected in the outcome of elections, describing this as the core assurance INEC owed the electorate. Responding, General Abubakar commended the Commission’s leadership and described the INEC chairmanship as one of the most demanding positions in the country, given the divergent expectations of political actors r…
Summary from source