Osun 2018: EU Ambassador commends Osun voters

The European Union Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Ketil Karlsen, has commended the electorate in Osun State for being calm and well-behaved during the Saturday governorship election in the state.

He also said he was hopeful the people’s votes would count in the end.

Karlsen, who was among the election observers, told journalists in Iragbiji, Osun State on Saturday morning that the EU was hopeful the poll would be a model for the 2019 general elections.

He described the Osun voters as peaceful and calm and commended the Independent National Electoral Commission for the manner it planned the exercise.

He said, “We have been observing all morning; we are a team of 55 people, with 28 observers from around eight European countries and so far, everything looks good.

“I commend INEC so much because it’s like they have learnt from previous elections. And that is exactly what we want to see, for the people to vote for who they want democratically.

“The security situation is also commendable; everywhere is peaceful, very calm. It seems large number of people are coming out to vote. This is a good development for democracy, to decide who determines your well-being. We hope this will serve as an inspiration for the 2019 elections.”

Although Karlsen said he wouldn’t be able to make a final judgment of the quality of the election until it was over, he commended the voters for being “very calm and well behaved.”

He also encouraged them not to sell their votes, saying vote-buying was as big an offence as election rigging.

Punch