 My name is Mahmoudia Kubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission Nigeria. I'm here at the USIP for an engagement ahead of the forthcoming general elections in Nigeria, holding on the 25th of February 2023. Nigeria is a very important country, so the election in 2023 is equally important. The sheer number of registered voters in the country projected at 95 million, as well as the number of political parties involved in the election make Nigeria's election so important and huge. Nigeria is a country in West Africa, there are 15 countries including Nigeria, but the voter population of the other 14 countries put together is over 20 million less than the number of registered voters. So each time Nigerians go to the polls, it's as if the whole of West Africa goes to the polls. It's very interesting in Nigeria, the last time we registered voters, fresh registration of voters, over 12 million citizens registered and out of the 12 million, 7 to 1.4% of them are young Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 34. So it is interesting and exciting for us that the young people are engaging in the democratic process and they are increasingly having confidence in the process, that's why they are registering to vote. So democracy will continue to provide hope for them and their engagement is very critical in that respect. So our assurances and commitment to all who register to vote, most especially the young people, is that we are going to conduct a transparent, free and fair election and their choices will be upheld and is the person they choose at the polls that will determine who becomes whatever at all levels of election in Nigeria. Well, this is the seventh consecutive presidential or general election in Nigeria since the restoration of democracy in the country in 1999. This is the longest time that we have had unbroken period of democracy and it has been very good for Nigeria, very good for the region and very good for the world. Nigeria has been playing consistently a supportive role for democracy and democratization in the subregion, providing assistance to other countries to conduct credible elections. INAK as the election management body is committed to conducting free, fair and credible elections. But INAK alone can't do it. We need the support and full participation of all the stakeholders involved, the political parties in particular, the candidates and their supporters. So I would like to appeal particularly to the political class to join hands with the commission in ensuring a transparent process and a transparent election because they are going to sponsor the candidates for the election, their supporters will go around to campaign and so there is need to keep things calmly in the country so that they can vote in peace and the process will be protected. In other words, it's not just the electoral commission that conducts elections. Everybody has a responsibility in the political class to ensure that there is no violence or thagri and as well as the electoral commission that conducts the election to ensure that the processes are credible.