INEC, judiciary must restore public confidence in electoral process –Stakeholders

From Magnus Eze, Enugu

Stakeholders have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Judiciary to be truly independent by resisting all forms of manipulations by moneybag politicians who are bent of hijacking Nigeria’s democracy.

They spoke at a post-election enlightenment session on the key sections and provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and the process for election petitions, organised in Enugu, by Actionaid in collaboration with South Saharan Social Development Organisation (SSDO) with funding from Ford Foundation.

They scored the INEC low in the conduct of the 2023 general election lamenting that the wishes of the electorate were mostly compromised and truncated.

The stakeholders described the ugly development as worrisome, noting that something must be done to check it, else, Nigerians might find it difficult to participate in future elections in the country.

In addition, they urged Nigerians not to wait till the next general election in 2027 before preparing for it.

Proffering solutions, the stakeholders proposed that the “INEC Chairman should be elected and not an appointee of the President and the electoral umpire should also be answerable to a body of eminent Nigerians, religious groups and civil society organisations.”

They further urged that more provisions be made for the inclusion of people living with disabilities; better network facilities for the BVAS for voting and transmission of results, as well as improved security to curb violence.

The Project Coordinator, Citizens’ Led Engagements on Judicial Accountability in Post Election Justice Delivery in Nigeria (CLEAP), Adesuwa Iluobe, said: “We want Nigerians to be fully equipped with the right knowledge of the provisions of the Electoral Act, to be able to hold INEC, or Judiciary accountable, if need be, so that fact can be verified after conduct of elections in Nigeria.

“We will continue with the education of the people for the 2027 general elections. We want more people to be enlightened about the provisions of the Electoral Act, so that it will not be business as usual in 2027.”