Limit foreign observer's access in our elections - NIA to FG

The National Intelligence Agency yesterday activated a fresh discourse on the accreditation of foreign observers for elections by the Nigerian government saying it should be reviewed in national interest and for security reasons.

The NIA said it had become necessary for the Federal Government to put foreign election observers on its watchlist for national security.

According to the NIA, Nigeria must not grant foreign election observers unfettered access to “certain things that are critical to our national security.”

The Director-General of NIA, Ahmed Abubakar, represented by the agency’s Head General Operations, Hamza Mohammed, issued the warning during a symposium titled, ‘Elections monitoring and Observation 2023 general election and way forward

The national coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of AUDA-NEPAD Nigeria at the event Gloria Akobundu, said the organisation had embarked on a nationwide awareness campaign on violence-free elections across the six geo-political zones and the FCT to ensure effective implementation of the National Programme of Action.