By Myke Uzendu, Abuja
The Adopt-a-Goal for Development Initiative has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that the 2027 general election becomes one of Nigeria’s most credible elections, describing it as the greatest tribute to late democracy advocate, Ariyo Dare Atoye.
The organisation said the fourth anniversary of Atoye’s death should go beyond memorial speeches and inspire a renewed national commitment to transparent elections that Nigerians can genuinely trust.
Atoye, a frontline civil society advocate for electoral reforms, democratic accountability and citizens’ participation, died on October 27, 2022.
In a statement marking the anniversary, the organisation’s Executive Director, Kunle Afolabi, said Atoye devoted much of his public life to strengthening the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process.
“The greatest monument Nigeria can build in his honour is not made of concrete or marble.
“It is an electoral system Nigerians can trust,” the organisation said.
According to the group, the 2027 general election presents a historic opportunity to translate Atoye’s advocacy for electoral reforms into practical results.
“The most fitting tribute to his memory will be a 2027 general election in which every eligible Nigerian can vote freely and every lawful vote counts.
“Technology must work as promised, results must reflect the will of the people and the process must command public confidence,” it said.
The organisation said INEC would ultimately be judged not merely by its logistical preparations or deployment of technology, but by whether Nigerians considered the electoral process impartial, transparent and credible.
“The 2027 election should become the election in which Nigerians no longer have to debate whether their votes counted or whether technology failed when it mattered most.
“This is the standard Ariyo fought for, and this is the standard Nigeria must now deliver,” it said.
Adopt-a-Goal urged the electoral commission to safeguard the voters’ register, ensure transparent deployment of electoral technology and strengthen the transmission and collation of results.
It also called for professional training of electoral personnel, strict neutrality and the early identification and resolution of operational and technological challenges that could undermine the credibility of the polls.
The group said political parties and candidates also had a responsibility to reject violence, intimidation and vote-buying, allowing citizens to exercise their democratic rights freely.
“No political ambition is worth the blood of a Nigerian,” the organisation said.
It added that Atoye’s advocacy was fundamentally about ensuring that political power was obtained through the consent of citizens rather than violence, manipulation, intimidation or the subversion of democratic institutions.
The organisation urged civil society groups, the media, religious and traditional institutions, professional bodies and citizens to play active roles in safeguarding the electoral process.
According to the group, the true test of electoral reform begins at polling units and continues through voter accreditation, voting, counting, collation and the final declaration of results.
It said Nigeria needed to move away from recurring post-election disputes towards an electoral system in which defeated candidates and their supporters could accept the outcome because they trusted the process.
Recalling Atoye’s commitment to peaceful civic mobilisation as a means of influencing public policy and strengthening democracy, the organisation said his advocacy remained relevant to the country’s electoral future.
“Four years have passed, but Ariyo’s voice has not disappeared.
“Every demand for transparent elections echoes that voice. Every young Nigerian who insists that his or her vote must count keeps that voice alive,” it said.
Adopt-a-Goal maintained that the 2027 elections offered INEC an opportunity to restore public confidence and demonstrate that years of advocacy for electoral reform had not been in vain.
“Ariyo Dare Atoye does not need another promise from Nigeria. His memory deserves fulfilment.
“If Nigeria wants to honour him, let us give Nigerians an election they can believe in,” the organisation said.
It added that a transparent and credible election would constitute a more meaningful tribute than anniversary speeches or commemorative events.
“Let the 2027 general election become a defining moment when Nigeria proves that the ballot can truly be stronger than manipulation, violence, money and political influence.
“That will be Ariyo’s greatest memorial. That will keep his advocacy alive,” the group said.
