… recommends stakeholder collaborations, judiciary reforms Ahead of the forthcoming September 21 and November 16 off-cycle elections in Edo and Ondo states, respectively, the Centre for Journalism Innovation Development (CJID), a non-governmental organisation, has highlighted public distrust in electoral processes in Nigeria as a barrier to citizens’ participation during the polls. In a research report
… recommends stakeholder collaborations, judiciary reforms
Ahead of the forthcoming September 21 and November 16 off-cycle elections in Edo and Ondo states, respectively, the Centre for Journalism Innovation Development (CJID), a non-governmental organisation, has highlighted public distrust in electoral processes in Nigeria as a barrier to citizens’ participation during the polls.
In a research report published to gauge citizens’ perceptions and readiness to participate in the elections, the organisation stated that the analysis was aimed at assessing and correcting voter apathy in the country following the outcome of the 2023 general elections and court rulings on election petitions.
The organisation revealed that research shows that only 36% of respondents in the state expressed confidence in the elections being conducted fairly and credibly, while 36% expressed scepticism about the judiciary’s impartiality in resolving election disputes.
As a result, the CJID maintained that this outcome poses a risk to voter turnout and overall engagement. that there are breeding trust deficits amongst the electorates, a development that could affect the upcoming gubernatorial polls.
The report further stated that despite a substantial number of registered voters participating in the survey, only 25% were active members of political parties. The citizens also questioned the ability of political parties to represent their interests genuinely.
“Elections are fundamental to democracy, providing a platform for peaceful power transitions and citizen engagement. However, following recent general elections marked by voter apathy and contentious court rulings on election petitions, there is a critical need to assess how these factors affect the upcoming gubernatorial races.
“The perception of citizens towards electoral institutions impacts their participation in elections. Voter apathy has been on the rise with every electoral cycle. Where 32.3% of potential voters are unsure of the credibility of the electoral process and an almost equal number outrightly do not trust INEC’s ability to conduct credible elections, then there is potential for low turnout on September 21st and 16th November respectively.
“586 (42%) of respondents of the registered voters expressed trust in the electoral process to be free, fair, and credible. In contrast, 397 (28%) of respondents indicated a lack of trust in the electoral process, and 411 (29%) remained uncertain about their level of trust. These figures highlight a significant division in voter confidence, with a notable portion of the electorate either sceptical or undecided about the integrity of the electoral process,” the report says.
The research also addressed the role of the media as a watchdog in covering the elections and its responsibility to serve as a tool for voter education, campaigns and debates. The organisation further stated that the media is expected to set the agenda for campaigns by helping to focus discussions on more important issues and to hold them accountable for their campaign promises.
However, CJID observed that the media coverage of the elections was deemed fair by 57% of respondents, though many felt it was biased or indifferent. Social media was identified as the primary source of election information for 50% of respondents, underscoring the challenges of addressing misinformation and disinformation.
In its recommendation, the report urged the Independent National Electoral Commission and other relevant stakeholders to collaborate on “organising public awareness campaigns on the importance of voting and participation. Voter education should also be created to target women, youth and persons with disabilities and find ways to make participation easier, safer and more inclusive.
“Make the voting process more flexible – One of the major problems with voting in
elections in Nigeria is the difficulty with the voting process. People can only vote in polling units where their registration is domiciled, meaning, where a person is not close to their polling unit on election day, they will be unable to vote diasporans can only vote if they travel back to Nigeria, and they lack of diverse voting methods all add to the difficulty in the process and therefore hinder participation.
The use of appropriate technology is one of the easiest ways to make participation in the electoral process easier. In 2022, INEC provided a portal for pre-registration of voters, this helped simplify the process.
“The process can be improved to include concluding voter registration in the comfort of your home and being able to access your voter registration on the same day. If Nigeria can effectively streamline all its data sources, this will be easy to do. By implementing a combination of these strategies, it is possible to increase voter participation and strengthen democratic processes.
The organisation also advocated for transparency in all political activities, stating that it “helps combat corruption by defining rules and providing disciplinary mechanisms to address unethical or corrupt
behaviour. It is also a major booster of public confidence and perception of the political party.”
The media organisations are also urged to enhance their effort to tackle information disorders and adopt a people-centred approach to election reporting by expanding into new niches to provide accurate, comprehensive, and unbiased information to the public.
‘Every media house reporting on elections must do it side by side with fact-checking every piece of information it publishes. It is necessary that irrespective of the politics of media ownership, informing the electorate should be the greater good and should endeavour to provide equal air time to candidates in an election”
The organisation also urged the judiciary to adopt an alternative dispute resolution as the country’s election dispute system is overburdened with cases, saying that after the 2023 general elections, 1,209 election petitions were filed.
“This holds the promise of reducing electoral petitions and decongesting the tribunals. In the alternative, special courts and tribunals should be created to handle election petitions and electoral offences to focus on only cases arising from elections with petitions or criminal. Instead of ad-hoc election tribunals, these special courts remain permanent, and their only mandate is to hear election petitions and electoral offences.
“Every conversation on electoral and judicial reforms should start with a proposal to change the way election litigation is carried out. The law provides that election petitions take 180 days from the day they are filed to the day judgement is given, and 60 days are given for appeals.
“Also, the system for appeals of decisions of election petitions should be abolished. The Supreme Court can be the first court of instance for presidential elections and the Court of Appeal can be the first and last court for government elections. There should be no appeal for cases filed at the tribunals, which will be the first and final court for election matters”, it concluded
