The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that the time had come for it to organise the freest and fairest election in Africa.

The National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, said this on Wednesday at the 2022 Calabar Carnival, while sensitising Nigerians on the upcoming general elections.

Mr Okoye, therefore, urged officials of the commission to show Nigerians that they have the capacity to do so.

He said that the commission decided to participate in the carnival to sensitise and encourage Nigerians to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and vote in the elections.

Mr Okoye said that Nigerians needed to know that their PVCs have potency.

According to him, if it hadn’t, politicians would not be struggling to buy them from prospective voters.

“My message to Nigerians is that only the PVC can change their circumstances.

“Therefore, those who do not have their PVCs have no business in the electoral process.

“Our responsibility is to ensure that the PVCs are available for the people and to organise free, fair and credible elections.

“It is also to ensure that those Nigerians say should win the 2023 election won.

“The time had come for us to organise the freest and fairest election on the continent of Africa,” he said.

Mr Okoye further said that the commission had no political party and owed no allegiance to any or individuals but the Nigerian people.

He said that the commission needed to mobilise all the national assets to ensure that the 2023 polls were credible and the best the country ever had. 

(NAN)