The President of the National Endowment for Democracy, Damon Wilson, says successful elections in Nigeria will enhance the growth of democracy across the world.
He said a strong democracy is important in Nigeria and explained that the independent, non-profit foundation dedicated to the growth and strengthening of democratic institutions around the world is in Nigeria to observe the 2023 general elections.
“This is a consequential election. First of all, it matters a lot for Nigerians but Nigeria is the fifth largest democracy in the world, it’s the largest economy and the largest country in Africa and it’s on the path to be the second largest democracy in the world.
“What happens here matters; it first of all matters to Nigerians but it can have a real impact on the pathway to development of democracy in West Africa, across Africa and frankly around the world,” Wilson said in a television chat on Thursday.
Noting that democracy is facing challenges around the world, the foreign observer said that successful elections in Nigeria will increase the momentum for a democratic renewal across the world.
Preparations for Nigeria’s seventh consecutive general elections since the return of democracy in 1999 are in top gear, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) assuring Nigerians and the rest of the world that there won’t be a shift in the date of the polls.
The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled to hold on February 25, while governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections will hold on March 11, 2023.