Worried by some of the challenges from the 2023 general elections, the International Press Centre, Lagos, on Monday conveyed a multi-stakeholders dialogue on rebuilding trust in the electoral process, institutions, and elections and came out with a few suggestions to reinvigorate the electoral processes and deepen democracy in the country.

Left to right: Mr Arogundade, Prof Ibeanu and Prof Albert

With funding under Component 4 (Support to media) of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria-Phase 2 (EUSDGN II) project, the roundtable agreed that the issue of trust is multifaceted and not limited to the election management body alone but identified other stakeholders like the government, the political parties, the candidates, the security and law enforcement agencies and the voters.

In his lead presentation titled “The Role of Critical Stakeholders in Building Trust in Electoral Processes, Institutions and Elections in Nigeria” Prof Isaac Albert noted that the positives in 2023 were being swept away because there is a general trust problem in the society which has made many Nigerians to become skeptical of institutions.

Prof Isaac Albert delivering his paper

The Professor African History, Peace and Conflict Studies at Institute for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ibadan observed that the current economic situation in the country has caused Nigerians to be disappointed in the government. He added that such occurrences have made the citizens to lose trust in the government. He said, this scepticism permeates every aspect of the Nigerian life and explains why why many people will double count money dispensed from the banks Automatic Teller Machine.

Noting that trust is not served a la carte but earned, he argued that for Nigerians to have trust in the electoral processes and public institutions, there will be a need to rebuild trust in the society. He said some of the misconceptions and wrong perceptions associated with the election management bodies are based on the history of the institutions that have managed elections over time and the people’s general expectations.

He submitted that there is no alternative to democracy; elections are important in the process and that without trust, democracy is a facade. He argued further that commitment to collaboration is possible and works only when everybody has something in the outcomes and asked: What value do Nigerians place on the electoral process? What are the people giving their trust to?

Faces of some of the participants

He identified the following elements as necessary to rebuild trust; the need to demonstrate competence, the need to act with integrity, demonstration of care for others and honouring of commitments. He identified pillars of electoral trust to include delivery, engagement, familiarity and integrity.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Roundtable, Professor Okechukwu Ibeanu, a former National Commissioner of INEC had noted that for trust to be rebuilt in the society, the people must be convinced that the right things are being done and the wrong things not being done. He said the people put in charge of affairs must have the professional capacity to implement the rules and the system must have a robust system for redress – punish those who do wrong and reward those who do well.

Professor Okechukwu Ibeanu, an Election Admininstration Expert, Development Alternatives Incorporation (DAI) spoke about the essence of rebuilding trust in a democratic society which will give people sense of belonging in the government.He explained that there must be an effort from the electorate and the electoral institutions to build a social trust which will have the dependability from the citizens. He called for the rebuilding of social trust, which he described as the bedrock of al trusts for governance.

“The question of trust is fundamental to everything, once it is not there everything will give way. The right thing must be done to correct the wrong narratives. The first thing to build is social trust and to build the trust it must be earned the institutions in charge of the electoral process must earn the trust in the process of performing and it is not earned once and for all.

“There must be a level of social trust and that also goes down to the election. Rebuilding trust in the electoral system must be based on how citizens feel it affects their lives because the citizens must get their desired results not only from the electoral institutions but from the government they elect. If they do not, the level of trust in the government will diminish.

“To build the trust, it must have the ability, believability and dependability from the elected officers. This will involve engagements across and that will lead to accumulation of trust”, he said.

Some participants at the Roundtable

With specific application to the electoral process, Prof Ibeanu said there is an expectation that those who manage the elections will do the right thing and refuse to do the wrong things. Rebuilding trust has something to do about everybody, a large list of stakeholders which will include the institutions, the security agencies, the media and the voters. He asked rhetorically: Do we have a system holding people accountable?

Mr. Arogundade

In his welcome speech, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, Executive Director of the International Press Center, noted that “Perception-wise, misconception-wise, or reality-wise, it cannot be denied that some contentious issues arising from the 2023 elections have created mistrust among Nigerians. It’s in the public domain that the elections met with some unexpected challenges which ordinarily shouldn’t overshadow its significant milestones including the meticulous preparation and the use of technology for voting via BVAS which remain highly commendable.

“Some of those challenges have elicited local and international observations including the one led by the European Union, Election Observation Mission (EU-EOM), which highlighted elements of waning public confidence and trust in the electoral process.

“Furthermore, IPC’s media monitoring activity of 20 print/online media and INEC social media platforms over the past 18 months also reveals elements of negative perception by some citizens about the electoral processes and outcomes; though it has been argued that some of the negatives appeared to have been exaggerated. This forum serves as a strategic response to the foregoing. It is underscored by the recognition that without rebuilding trust, it might be difficult to get the electoral process right in the next round of off-cycle governorship elections (Edo, Ondo and Anambra States), and in the larger 2027 general elections.

“Thus, among the questions that should agitate us as media and civil society organisations, as we engage in this deliberation today are: Have we done enough to hold important stakeholders like the government, the political parties, the candidates, the security and law enforcement agencies, etc, accountable for their actions at elections in addition to INEC? If we agree that we haven’t, then what can we do better? Have we as media and civil society organisations also done enough to make ourselves accountable to society in the course of performing our electoral duties?

Reacting to the keynote speech, the Lagos state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Professor Ayobami Salami said he was happy that there’s a consensus that there’s no alternative to democracy. He admitted that there were some challenges in the 2023 general elections which INEC has properly documented in its post election report. “But, we value a meeting like this because of feedback”.

He however noted that INEC will continuously seek improvements and innovations to its processes and reduce whatever deficit there have been with every election while building trust in the institution. INEC will strive to make the country’s electoral system better as long as there is joint ownership of responsibility to restore the lost trust in the country. “Everybody should take joint ownership of the solution and owning the country collectively knowing that nobody will fix the country for us”

The event which held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Lagos had a massive participation from several stakeholders including representatives from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the media, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Law Enforcement Agencies, Political Party Leaders, Youth, Women, and Members of the Public and persons with disabilities. Participants at the Roundtable