According to the Elections Lead at National Democratic Institute, Uge Timipanipre, “political apathy is rooted in the electorate’s dissatisfaction with government performance and perception of the illegitimate election outcomes”, and that these issues could impact the 2023 elections.
Shrinking Civil Space: The Nigerian civic space shrunk due to the government’s high-handedness and corruption. According to Obianuju Catherine Udeh (also known as ‘D.J. Switch), a leader of the 2020 #EndSARS protests in Nigeria, over 300 pro-government civil society organizations have sprung up to divide and weaken citizens’ demands for good governance and accountability.
Political Inclusivity: Nigeria’s political elites should focus on achieving inclusivity, in terms of region, gender and age, as a way of creating national cohesion and lowering the political pressures, the participants concluded.
Ms. Idayat Hassan asserted that “the zoning of the presidency to the south, particularly the Southeast, will give the region a sense of belonging in Nigeria.”
Furthermore, D.J. Switch reminded young Nigerians to get actively involved in the 2023 elections, as they have the numbers to determine Nigeria’s future.
Electoral Reforms: The new electoral law signals a ray of hope in improving electoral process credibility. However, a law is not active until it is implemented.
According to Ms. Cynthia Mbamalu, Director of Programmes at Yiaga Africa, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should hold sacrosanct the integrity of the electoral process.
Nigeria’s former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, urged INEC to update the voters’ register, including removing the details of the deceased. Furthermore, INEC should be firm in its dealings with political parties to ensure the implementation of every aspect of the amended Electoral Act.
Chidoka advised INEC to “conduct third-party testing of (their) technology platforms to ascertain their robustness, integrity, and performance ahead of the general election”, while the Commission should cascade the same attention given to federal and state elections to the local governments.
