THE Abuja School of Social and Political Thought (ASSPT) has called for radical and transformative electoral reform in Nigeria before the 2027 general election.
The school Executive Director, Dr Sam Amadi, made the call while presenting a paper titled “National Action Plan for Electoral Reform’’ on Monday in Abuja at the 2nd Ariyo Dare-Atoye memorial election reform series.
Amadi said that Nigeria could no longer play politics with electoral reform, adding that the country’s democracy depends on the quality of its future elections.
“There should be a coalition of CSOs and political parties, especially opposition parties to take seriously, the demand for real electoral reform,’’ he said.
Amadi said that whereas the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had built more technical capacity, the integrity of the electoral system remained a matter of concern.
He said that for the country to have credible elections there must also be radical reforms in the security and judiciary, especially in their roles as it relates to electoral system.
“Nigeria can no longer delay the complete overhaul of its electoral system.
“Every electoral cycle in Nigeria arrives with frantic efforts by the National Assembly to amend the electoral laws, but these reforms are superficial and cynical.
“They do not address the real impediments to free and fair elections. They touch on marginal issues that do not determine the credibility or otherwise of the electoral management system.
“This is the time for radical and transformative electoral reform,’’ Amadi said.
He stressed the need to de-emphasise money politics and uphold the independence of INEC to guarantee credible elections in Nigeria
Amadi also called for effective regulation of party primaries and the just resolution of electoral disputes.
A human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, called on all stakeholders to work together to have a truly independent INEC and judiciary immune from executive and political interference.
He also said that for Nigeria to have credible elections, the country must have strong political parties and those who committed electoral offences must be prosecuted.
Adeyanju also suggested the need for opposition political parties to work together and avoid splitting their votes in the 2027 presidential election.
