The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has clarified that it did not receive direct cash support from international development partners for the 2023 general election.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made the clarification during a meeting with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Abuja.

While INEC acknowledged the support it received from development partners through civil society organizations and implementing partners, it emphasized that the funding was not direct cash support.

Prior to the elections, development partners such as the European Union (EU), United States Institutes, International Republican Institute (IRI), and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) offered support through capacity-building workshops, technical advice, and voter education.

In another development, a coalition of CSOs, presidential candidates, and ethnic youth leaders passed a vote of confidence in Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, rejecting a report from the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU-EOM) and raising concerns about potential attempts to compromise the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) during upcoming governorship polls in Imo, Bayelsa, and Kogi states.