Implementing transparent mechanisms for direct funding to Local Government Areas (LGAs) so as to enhance local governance and development; strengthening the independence and capacity of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) through legislative reforms and standardized operational guidelines; establishing a formal framework for collaboration between INEC and SIECs to improve the quality of local elections and reforming the judicial system with emphasis on merit-based appointments and clear timelines for resolving electoral disputes have emerged as the considered ways out of electoral conundrum and democratisation in Nigeria.
Others are exploring the adoption of a mixed electoral system to enhance representativeness and inclusive politics; investing in innovative technology for voter registration, voting, and result transmission to enhance transparency and reduce electoral fraud; implementing strict campaign finance regulations and anti-vote buying measures to curb electoral malpractices; enforcing internal party democracy and transparent candidate selection processes within political parties; introducing measures to increase the participation and representation of women, youth, and persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the electoral process and, lastly, integrating comprehensive civic education into school curricula and launch nationwide campaigns to foster a stronger democratic culture.
File photo from a previous Electoral Hub event
These are the consensus of intellectuals of electoral governance in Nigeria who put heads together at the Twelfth Technical Session of The Electoral Forum on a Zoom platform August 29th, 2024. Held ahead of the impending governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states, ddiscussions at the session centered on electoral adjudications viz the Supreme Court verdicts regarding the governorship elections in Imo, Kogi, and Bayelsa, particularly in light of Athena – Osita Chidoka’s analysis of these governorship election results, along with the perceived implications.
Not left out were the plausible impacts of recent Supreme Court judgments on State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) and Local Government elections, alongside the significance of the recent changes in the Supreme Court’s leadership and the effect of Current State of the Nation on Elections such as issues of vote trading, apathy etc. and democracy.
These key issues formed the subject matter of the opening remarks of the Chair of the Forum, Professor Adebayo Olukoshi, for whom these were ‘the burning issues of electoral governance in Nigeria’ Subsequently, the Forum noted that the legal threshold for proving substantial non-compliance in election petitions remains a significant challenge for petitioners, making it difficult to overturn questionable election results. The believed growing involvement of judiciary in electoral outcomes also attracted critical attention where it was noted that the Supreme Court will keep being embedded in elections as long as politicians refuse to play by electoral rules, and evolve a sound political culture. Judges should uphold their code of conduct of professionalism stop the lobbying for positions in election tribunals thereby having to bother about passing judgments they think would be satisfactory to godfathers who helped them get these positions in the first case, the session demanded.
The session considered the recent Supreme Court judgment on direct funding to Local Government Areas (LGAs) as a landmark ruling marking a significant shift in Nigeria’s fiscal federalism, with far-reaching implications for state/local government relations and the conduct of local elections. But while noting how the judgment could strengthen local governance, the Forum equally identified how some state governments may face substantial reductions in their allocations, potentially up to 77% in some cases. This shift in resource allocation necessitates a reimagining of state-local government relationships and calls for innovative approaches to governance at both levels, it was argued.
On the potential role of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in local government elections, the Forum highlighted the need for INEC to provide guidance and support to SIECs to improve the quality of local elections. While welcoming the new leadership in the Supreme Court, the Forum calls for merit-based appointments, enhanced judicial independence, and the development of clear guidelines for adjudicating electoral disputes. Critically examining the current electoral system, reforms including a possible shift to a mixed electoral system and broadening the scope of acceptable voter identification methods was advanced.
The Forum called for enhanced oversight and strict enforcement of electoral rules based on its concern with the persistent challenges in the electoral process, including violations of electoral guidelines and issues with result collation and announcement. On the role of civil society in strengthening Nigeria’s democracy, encouragement for increased civic education and more robust oversight of electoral processes at all levels was emphasised.
A key theme that emerged was the inseparable connection between democracy and development. The Forum stresses that for democracy to be meaningful, it must deliver tangible developmental outcomes for Nigerian citizens. The Forum also explored the internal dynamics of political parties and their impact on electoral outcomes. Discussions centered on the role of political parties in either upholding or undermining democratic processes. The Forum called for stronger regulatory oversight by INEC and the reinforcement of internal democracy within political parties to prevent the manipulation of electoral outcomes.
