National
Ethiopian Electoral Officials Visit INEC to Study Nigeria’s Election Management Practices
By Micheal Chukwuebuka
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday hosted a delegation from the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) and the Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organisations for Elections (CECOE) at its headquarters in Abuja.
INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, described the meeting as an “extraordinary engagement”, noting that it was the first time the Commission would receive a joint delegation comprising an electoral management body and a civil society coalition from another country.
“This visit is unique because, in the past, we interacted mainly with colleagues from electoral commissions,” Yakubu said. “Today, we are hosting not just the National Election Board of Ethiopia, led by its Deputy Chairman, Mr Tesfaye Niwai, but also the Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organisations for Elections, representing over 180 civic groups.”
Yakubu highlighted the shared democratic values and institutional similarities between Nigeria and Ethiopia, stressing that both countries are multi-ethnic federations committed to strengthening electoral integrity.
“Nigeria in West Africa and Ethiopia in East Africa share a lot in common. With populations exceeding 135 million in Ethiopia and over 220 million in Nigeria, both countries together account for about a quarter of Africa’s population,” he noted.
He added that INEC and NEBE perform similar constitutional responsibilities, including the conduct of elections, registration of political parties, monitoring of campaign finance, delineation of constituencies, creation of polling units, accreditation of election observers, and voter education.
During the one-week study tour, the Ethiopian delegation will participate in nine technical sessions focusing on various aspects of Nigeria’s electoral system. These include strategic election planning, deployment of technology in voter registration, inclusion of displaced persons and persons with disabilities, candidate nomination processes, observer accreditation, media engagement, and voter education initiatives.
