The Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo has said that the Federal Government believes in the principle of free elections as a factor that will lead to the stability of Nigeria.
He made the disclosure yesterday during a visit by a delegation of ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commission led by its chairman, Professor Mahmud Yakubu at the State House in Abuja.
Osinbajo called for the entrenchment of free and fair elections in Nigeria, stressing that the right to freely elect leaders should not be only by word of mouth but should be adhered to in practice.
He said: “We believe in the fundamental principles of free elections and we believe that the only way to ensure stability in the society is to ensure that people have the right to elect their leaderships, but not just a right on paper but a right in practice and the only way by which that right can be manifested in practice is by free and fair elections.”
On his part, Professor Yakubu, who is also the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) emphasised the importance of a good voter register, which he described as crucial to achieving credible elections.
