Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki has expressed that Nigerians can learn from the Edo 2020 governorship election on how to ensure credible polls.
He spoke on Tuesday at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) distinguished lecture series titled: ‘Making Politics Work for Citizens, Governance and Development: The Edo State Experience’, held in Lagos.
“Edo state, with all its features, is very representative of the larger Nigerian nation. We have demonstrated in Edo state that the political firmament can be altered for the benefit of majority of its citizens,” he said.
“Edo state reversed the political norm in Nigeria. Voter consciousness and voter turnout reached an enviable level. Citizen participation (including Edos in the diaspora) in the elections shocked bookmakers. The issues for campaign were clear and reduced to few key overarching subjects affecting our people.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stood its ground and insisted on free and fair elections. Voter results were transmitted directly from the polling units to a central portal and the results matched those we were collating in our situation room. It is possible to scale this template to a national level.
“Insistence on good governance has helped us in building public trust with citizens. By rebuilding the culture of transparency and accountability, we have reduced the level of resistance to our reform agenda.”
