Various stakeholders and institutions in the Nigerian Election Project must rise to the task of discharging their specific responsibilities to make the electoral process credible.
The call was made during a One-Day Stakeholders’ Dialogue on Rebuilding Trust in the Electoral Process, held Thursday in Awka, Anambra State Capital.
The one-day dialogue was put together by the International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos-Nigeria, under component 4 (Support to media) of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria- Phase 2 (EUSDGN II) project.
It attracted stakeholders in the electoral process, including the INEC, representatives of political parties, the National Orientation Agency, security agencies, traditional and religious institutions, CSOs, the media, women, youths, students, labor unions, and community leaders.
The IPC Executive Director, Lanre Arogundade, represented the IPC Programme Manager, Stella Nwofia, in his opening remarks, said the dialogue was designed to address negative perceptions held by citizens regarding elections in Nigeria, rebuild public trust, and galvanize the support of critical stakeholders as partners with INEC in enhancing credible elections in Nigeria.
The Convener of the Nigeria Democracy Clinic, NDC, Dr. Emeka Ononamadu, who chaired the program, noted that passing the buck and blaming the election umpire, INEC, for election failures had been the reason why other stakeholders have stood aloof over time, abdicating their responsibilities.
According to him, if any of the stakeholders continues to fail in their duties, the nation will never arrive at an election whose outcome will yield the people’s expectations.
In a lead presentation on Rebuilding Trust in the Electoral Processes and Institutions: Perspectives on the Role of Key Stakeholders, a former Resident Electoral Commissioner in charge of INEC Anambra State, Dr Nkwachukwu Orji, noted that successive surveys have shown that people’s confidence in the electoral process has dropped drastically.
This, he said, is reflected in the massive voter apathy witnessed during elections across the country.
Describing trust as a critical component for electoral performance and democratic enthronement, Orji said the election is a multi-stakeholder affair, adding that the more people fail to participate in the electoral process due to lack of trust, the more they support the failure of the election.
However, he noted that INEC and other stakeholders must begin rebuilding the people’s trust in the process.
“Statistics show that trust has been built before, violated and now, we must focus on rebuilding trust, which must be done on the premise of delivery, engagement, and integrity
“CSOs must begin to demand accountability from institutions and stakeholders in the election process.
“As a way forward, the election umpire, INEC, on its part, must review the process of appointment of its officials, encourage more engagement, and ensure transparency in the process by active involvement of observers.
“Political parties must also endeavour to complete all pre-election disputes before the conduct of elections,” he posited.
For her part, the INEC REC in charge of Anambra State, Queen Elizabeth Agwu, called for sincerity of purpose among the stakeholders if the electoral process must witness a turnaround, assuring that they are putting plans in place for seamless election conduct in the state.
Some stakeholders who spoke at the event, including Okey Onyeka from the CSO, and Okechukwu Obenta, a journalist, tasked the INEC with keeping its promises to the people, citing the failure to transmit election results electronically during the last general election as a breach of trust.
