Nigeria’s 2027 Election Credibility Will Require Collective Action, FixPolitics Says

Nigeria’s 2027 election cannot gain credibility through election laws alone, democracy advocates said at a national dialogue in Abuja. They called instead for collective action and accountability across the electoral chain.

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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.

The FixPolitics Africa event, titled “Beyond the Electoral Act: Ensuring Integrity and Accountability in Nigeria’s Elections,” focused on the gap between Nigeria’s legal framework and public confidence in the system. Speakers blamed poor enforcement, impunity and weak institutional conduct for continued distrust.

FixPolitics Africa Executive Director Anthony Ubani pointed to falling participation in presidential elections. Turnout declined from 53.7% in 2011 to 26.7% in 2023, he said. “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.

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When technology fails, Nigerians deserve immediate facts, not explanations days, weeks or months later.

He urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to provide immediate information when technology fails. “When technology fails, Nigerians deserve immediate facts, not explanations days, weeks or months later,” he said. He also called on political parties to improve their primaries, arguing that the quality of a general election cannot exceed the integrity of the process that produces its candidates.

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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.

Yiaga Africa Executive Director Samson Itodo named violence, vote-buying and political self-interest as major risks. He said strong voter participation during the Osun governorship election showed that citizens can influence the process by turning out and tracking results. Citizens Hub founder Aisha Yusuf urged people with strong ethical standards to enter politics, while CISLAC’s Auwal Rafsanjani said electoral credibility is not INEC’s responsibility alone.

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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.