Kuni Tyessi in Abuja
Democracy stakeholders have warned that the credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections will not be guaranteed by laws alone, but by collective action and accountability across the electoral chain.
The call was made at a one-day national dialogue on election integrity organised by FixPolitics Africa in Abuja, with the theme, “Beyond the Electoral Act: Ensuring Integrity and Accountability in Nigeria’s Elections.”
Speakers said while Nigeria has a legal framework for elections, public trust has continued to erode due to poor enforcement, impunity, and weak institutional conduct.
The Executive Director of FixPolitics Africa, Mr. Anthony Ubani, said declining voter turnout reflects growing distrust in the system and noted that presidential election turnout fell from 53.7% in 2011 to 26.7% in 2023.
“Before we ask citizens to trust the electoral process, the institutions and actors who manage that process must prove that they are worthy of that trust,” Ubani said.
He urged INEC to embrace full transparency, adding, “When technology fails, Nigerians deserve immediate facts, not explanations days, weeks or months later.”
Ubani also tasked political parties to clean up their primaries.
“Political parties must stop behaving as if elections are warfare and votes are commodities. The integrity of a general election cannot rise above the integrity of the primaries that produce its candidates,” he said.
On security agencies, he called for neutrality and professionalism, stressing that their duty is to protect voters, not political interests.
He further charged citizens and CSOs to move beyond complaints and engage actively by registering, voting, observing polls, and resisting vote-buying.
“Our courts must remain the last line of defence, not become the place where Nigerians routinely go to discover who actually won an election,” he added.
Mr. Samson Itodo, Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, identified violence, vote buying and political selfishness as major threats to 2027.
However, he cited the Osun governorship election as proof that citizens can protect the process when they turn out in large numbers.
“When people show up for elections in large numbers, it makes it difficult for them to cook results. When you insist on following your results all the way, citizens have the power to influence the work,” Itodo said. He further warned that apathy only makes rigging easier.
Ms. Aisha Yusuf, Founder of Citizens Hub, urged competent Nigerians to enter politics instead of ceding the space to those with less commitment to public good.
She described it as time for people with “white integrity” to prove that politics can be navigated without compromising values.
Mr. Auwal Rafsanjani of CISLAC said electoral credibility is not INEC’s responsibility alone.
“We already have a legal framework. What we need is to ensure enforcement of the laws we have… there must be sanctions as consequences for doing otherwise,” he said.
Ms. Mary Ikoku of Working Moms Africa also condemned impunity by political actors and demanded prosecution of electoral offenders under the 2022 Electoral Act.
Speakers collectively agreed that credible 2027 elections will require more than legal reforms and harped on accountability, enforcement, citizen participation, and institutional neutrality, insisting it must define Nigeria’s democratic process going forward.