The outgoing European Union ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Samuela Isopi, has said that supporting Nigeria’s democracy remained the best way to respond to the aspirations of Nigerians.

Ms Isopi, who will be leaving Nigeria after the expiration of her three-year tenure on Friday, said this during her farewell visit to INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu on Tuesday in Abuja.

Ms Isopi, who described INEC as one of the EU’s main partners in strengthening and deepening Nigeria’s democracy, expressed confidence that the union under his successor would sustain the partnership.

“The message I passed on to my successor was that this has to remain. This needs to remain as one of our core tasks and core priorities, to support the aspiration of the Nigerian people for a deeper, more inclusive and stronger Nigerian democracy.

“We are very proud and very pleased with the partnership that we have with INEC, with all the other stakeholders and partners that are involved in a joint effort that we are undertaking together under the EU Support to Democratic Government in Nigeria (EU-SDGN),” she said.

Ms Isopi also said supporting democracy in Africa and West Africa is now more important than ever, given the recent backsliding witnessed in many parts of the region.

She said the EU believed that supporting Nigeria’s democracy would greatly impact democracy in the region and the world.

“Nigeria is the largest democracy on the continent, the largest democracy in West Africa, one of the largest democracies, I would say, in the world. We know how important it is to continue to support Nigerians and Nigeria in its journey towards the strengthening of its democracy.

“We believe that democracy remains the best way, if not the only one, to really respond to the aspirations of our people. All democracies in the world, including our own face challenges. The journey is not necessarily always in one direction. We all face these challenges.

“We have an interest in working together to see how we can strengthen democracy because strengthening democracy in Europe, strengthening democracy in Nigeria means strengthening democracy worldwide.

“We know how important the example that Nigeria can give to other countries here,” she said.

Ms Isopi commended INEC for the open and frank partnership with the EU, saying she was proud of the unique model from the commission for other countries to emulate.

(NAN)