…Don Wants President Tinubu to Convene National Dialogue on Elections

A stakeholders’ meeting in Kaduna on rebuilding trust in the electoral processes, institutions and elections has identified factors and strategies to restore confidence and stem voter apathy. To this end, a university don, Prof Dung Pam Sha has called on President Bola Tinubu to convene a national dialogue on elections in Nigeria.

Prof Dung Pam Sha

The Professor of Political Economy from the Department of Political Science, University of Jos spoke at a multi-stakeholder dialogue on rebuilding trust in the electoral process, institutions, and elections organised by the International Press Centre with funding support from the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria, phase two project.

In his opinion, the President should demonstrate commitment to electoral reform by convening a presidential dialogue on elections, similar to what resulted in the Justice Uwais panel report under the Late President Shehu Yar’Ardua. He also called on the National Assembly to eliminate all ambiguities in the 2022 Electoral Act (e.g. pre-election matters and election petitions, results collation, and electronic transmission of results under Section 64 of the Electoral Act 2022.)

Responding to some post-election reports on the loss of trust and confidence in the electoral process by different organisations, Prof Sha said to restore hope, confidence, and trust in the electoral process and institutions, there is a need to strengthen the electoral legal framework, review the constitution to grant local Governments Councils developmental autonomy, rewrite state Independent Electoral Commissions laws to align with electoral law and avoid variations at state levels.

A cross section of participants

Noting that a recurring decimal in most of the reports was the depletion of trust in the electoral processes. He cited some of the reports including the EU Observer Mission report which observed that: “The 2023 general elections did not ensure a well-run transparent, and inclusive democratic process as assured by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Public confidence and trust in INEC were severely damaged during the presidential poll and were not restored in state-level elections, leading civil society to call for an independent audit of the entire process”.

YIAGA in its report also noted: “The 2023 general elections did not ensure a well-run transparent, and inclusive democratic process as assured by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Public confidence and trust in INEC were severely damaged during the presidential poll and were not restored in state-level elections, leading civil society to call for an independent audit of the entire process”.

Civil Society Situation Room Nigeria noted that “the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections fell short of the credibility threshold it set out as the basis for evaluating the elections… … the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections were marred by very poor organization, severe logistical and operational failure, lack of essential electoral transparency, substantial disruption of voting, and several incidents of violence. … the process cannot be considered to have been credible… Given the lack of transparency in the result collation process, there can be no confidence in the results… … public confidence in its [INEC’s] capacity to run elections is gravely shaken, and it would require extraordinary efforts for trust to be re-established”.

Some Recommendations Going Forward
He recommended a reform of the INEC to ensure its political, administrative, and financial independence as well as the State Independent Electoral Commissions on the appointment of the Chairman, commissioners, and other administrative staff removing them from the direct influence or control of the Presidency/Governors.

He identified other factors to rebuild trust as the control of EMB by ruling parties at national and subnational levels; the recruitment process of Commissioners, Presiding Officers, INEC State Collation and Returning Officers, and ad-hoc staff and lapses observed in INEC accreditation using Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and result transmission to the IReV (INEC Result Viewing (ReV) portal

The syndrome of “go to court if you are not satisfied with the outcome of the elections” or “let’s meet in court” sends a bad signal about the impartiality of the judiciary further accentuated by the dismissal of cases on technicalities and the elections Tribunal and conflicting judgments. Security agencies should also be purged of partisanship.

He advocated for the strengthening of the capacity of the Elections management bodies to give timely and appropriate communication to reassure voters about the elections, strengthen internal democracy in the political parties, democratise participation in decision-making by party structures, and weaken the influence of Godfathers and party financiers.

A cross section of participants

Civic/Political and voter education to target the youth to avoid apathy. The National Orientation Agency should intensify campaigns aimed at rebuilding trust while the political parties must cooperate to ensure the security and integrity of the election processes.

Prof Mohammed Kuna’s Intervention
In his brief intervention, Prof Mohammed Kuna, who is also the Special Adviser to the INEC Chairman, gave his insight into some of the challenges: “When we speak about the electoral process, people often look only at the body responsible for managing elections. While the Commission is a key pillar in this process, there are several important constituent segments besides the Commission. I prefer to see the electoral process as an ecosystem with various components with each playing its part in a wider effort to ensure the conduct of credible elections and to deepen democratic culture.

However, no matter how well an Electoral Commission adheres to these, the level of trust in the electoral process won’t be significant if broader issues in the electoral ecosystem remain not only unaddressed but act as fuel in initiating, propagating, and sustaining a wider trust and integrity deficit. But we will all be doing a massive disservice to the electoral process in particular and to our collective efforts in building democracy in general if we neglect the broader electoral and political ecosystem within which elections are conducted in Nigeria.

According to Prof Kuna, building trust is a continuous interface between classes of forces/factors operating within the political and electoral ecosystem. All stakeholders in this ecosystem must determine to do the right thing in the electoral process as part of a continuous effort that requires the active engagement of all stakeholders, including government institutions, political parties, civil society organizations, and the broader public. In addressing these broader issues, the 7 elements internal to the Commission’s processes must be assessed against the backdrop of the following:

“The growing level of impunity and unaccountable power; progressively poor public infrastructure such as roads, public buildings; progressively poor public infrastructure such as roads, public buildings; poor transportation/vehicular facilities; poor transportation/vehicular facilities; role of security agencies, professionalism & shortages of security personnel; role of political parties; disengaged public and civic associations, and especially of civil society organizations and the media whose focus has since become a concern with elections and what I call the ‘electoral moment’ or plain voting,’ as if there’s no obligation to protect/defend mandates, to hold power accountable;

Other disturbing factors include the “growing impact of fake news/mis(dis)information; massive levels of corruption and misgovernance posing an increasing challenge to state power by nonstate actors; the role of the Judiciary; and the growing thick pall of cynicism pervading our social and political life that makes the distrust of all public institutions first nature to us as Nigerians”.

Abuse of Power by Political Class Breeds Mistrust
In his opening remarks, Dr. Abubakar Siddique, Director of, the Centre for Democratic Development Research and Training, Zaria, who chaired the event blamed dwindling trust in the electoral process on the failure of the political class to give proper leadership. He said the loss of faith and crisis of confidence brew from abuse of power by the political class.

Desperation by political actors to win and hold on to power at all costs, leads to the perpetration of electoral malpractices, making the elections not to be free and fair. He warned that the judiciary should not be politicised as the last hope of the common man otherwise this could lead to violence and anarchy.

IPC States Reasons for the Stakeholders’ Dialogue
Welcoming participants to the event, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, Executive Director of the International Press Centre said “We embarked on this journey in response to some of the matters arising from the conduct of the 2023 general elections. As we do know, while the elections recorded commendable landmarks, particularly in terms of meticulous planning and the use of voting technology via BVAS, it also had challenges some of which have created doubts in the minds of sections of the electorate. Indeed, what can be deduced from the various comments and opinions is that trust and confidence issues about the electoral processes, electoral institutions, and elections have to be urgently addressed because they are essential for ensuring the desired participation of citizens in activities that can lead to credible elections.

“Therefore, how do we continue to build trust in the electoral processes? How do we ensure that citizens go out to register and collect their PVCs? How do we ensure that they vote even after collecting their PVCs? What are our roles and responsibilities in providing the enabling environment for popular participation in elections as critical stakeholders?

“The challenge of finding answers to these questions and perhaps many other ones is the main reason for our gathering today under the auspices of Component 4b: Support to Media of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria, phase two project (EU-SDGNII)”.

A cross section of participants