TheCable

Yiaga Africa, a civil society organisation (CSO), has called on the national assembly to resolve ambiguities regarding the collation and transmission of results in the Electoral Act 2022.

The call is part of the recommendations contained in the latest report by Yiaga Africa, “Electoral trust restored? Nigeria’s electoral process: One Year after the 2023 general election”, released in Abuja on Monday.

After the conduct of the 2023 general election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it was not obligated by the Electoral Act to transmit or collate results.

The electoral body maintained that it is responsible for uploading the outcome of the polls to the results viewing portal (IREV).

This was as the presidential election petition tribunal ruled that the Electoral Act 2022 made no provision for electronic transmission of poll results.

However, in its report which analysed the country’s electoral process following the 2023 elections, Yiaga Africa noted that there were incremental improvements in election management and logistics.

It noted also that there were trends that “cast a long shadow of doubt on the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process”.

”The documented cases of election manipulation, violence and brigandage in states like Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo, as well as the widespread inconsistencies in the judicial pronouncements, raise grave concerns about the commitment to democracy, constitutionalism and the rule of law,“ the report reads.

”The prevalence of attacks on INEC officials, pre-filled result sheets, political thuggery, violence and reports of inflated turnout figures call into question the credibility of electoral outcomes and undermine public confidence in democratic institutions.

”These trends reveal a challenge in our political culture and it constitutes an affront to the Nigerian electorate.”

RECOMMENDATIONS TO RESOLVE TRENDS

In the report, Yiaga said INEC must strive for greater transparency and regular public engagement while the Bola Tinubu administration should “articulate and implement a definitive electoral reform agenda”.

” One year after the general election, the Tinubu administration is yet to declare its stance on electoral reform,” Yiaga report said.

“Following the conclusion of election petitions, there is a public expectation that the president would present a definitive electoral reform agenda to restore trust in the process.

“The commitment of the presidency to support and assent to legislative efforts to reform the electoral framework is critical to restoring public trust.

”Yiaga Africa acknowledges the importance of judicial pronouncements in shaping electoral jurisprudence. However, the legal inconsistencies and the conflicting judgements that surfaced post-election are of great concern.

“The judiciary must conduct an introspective audit to rectify the inconsistencies and legal discrepancies that have contributed to a decline in judicial trust among the Nigerian people.

“The National Assembly should eliminate all ambiguities in the 2022 Electoral Act as noted by election observers and court decisions on pre-election matters and election petitions, especially regarding the results collation and electronic transmission of results under section 64 of the Electoral Act 2022.”