Communique : Promoting Electoral Integrity in Nigeria

By Sharon Akuboh

The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) convened an advocacy meeting on Friday, February 28, 2025, to discuss electoral integrity in Nigeria. The meeting brought together key stakeholders in the media and civil society to promote credibility and accountability in Nigeria’s elections.

Background
The meeting aimed to foster a deeper understanding of election credibility, raise public awareness, and strengthen advocacy efforts for reform in Nigeria’s electoral processes.

Key Observations
Participants noted several key issues impacting elections in Nigeria, including:

1. Persistent attacks on journalists and the failure of security agencies to bring perpetrators to justice.
2. Political influence in media ownership.
3. Electoral malpractices, including vote buying and result manipulation.
4. Credibility of INEC and SIECs nomination and screening processes.
5. Independence of INEC and SIECs.
6. Failure to unbundle INEC.
7. Misinformation and fake news on digital platforms.
8. Poor internal party democracy.
9. Inconsistencies in Nigeria’s voter register.
10. Need for adherence to ethical reporting standards.

Resolutions
The meeting reached the following resolutions:

Media

1. Hold government and public officials accountable as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution.
2. Sustain reporting on election credibility.
3. Prioritize investigative and objective reporting.
4. Advocate for policy reforms promoting press freedom and electoral accountability.
5. Collaborate with civil society groups for voter education and civic engagement.

The President

1. Ensure no politically exposed persons are nominated into INEC.
2. Protect the independence of the Judiciary and INEC.

National Assembly

1. Unbundle INEC and move voter education responsibility to the National Orientation Agency (NOA).
2. Expedite the Election Offences Commission Bill.
3. Amend the electoral act to mandate compulsory electronic transmission of election results.
4. Ensure diligent vetting of INEC nominees.

INEC

1. Publish information on prosecuted and unprosecuted electoral malpractices.
2. Provide details of financial allocations, expenditure, and procurement processes.
3. Regulate political parties and ensure timely submission of campaign finance reports.

The Police/Security

1. Provide updates on investigations and prosecutions of attacks on journalists.
2. Eliminate militarization of elections.
3. Protect journalists covering elections and guarantee press freedom.

Political Parties

1. Imbibe internal party democracy and adhere to extant laws on political and campaign financing.
2. Deploy party agents to all levels of elections.
3. Commit to issue-based campaigns and participate in public debates.

Conclusion
The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room and NUJ reaffirmed their commitment to promoting credible, transparent, and accountable elections in Nigeria. They called on all stakeholders to uphold democratic principles and ensure the integrity of elections in Nigeria.

This was contained in a Communique jointly signed by YZ Ya’u Convener, Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room and Alhassan Yahya, National President NUJ.