PAACA Report: Politicians, Not INEC, Blamed for Majority of Nigeria's Electoral Crises
The Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA) has released a startling report indicating that political actors, rather than the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), are responsible for the majority of electoral crises in Nigeria. According to the organization, about 60% of electoral disputes and conflicts are orchestrated by politicians who manipulate internal party processes and undermine electoral rules.
Shifting the Focus to Political Parties
In a statement issued on Friday in Abuja, PAACA's Executive Director, Ezenwa Nwagwu, urged Nigerians to redirect their scrutiny towards political parties and their candidate selection processes as the country approaches the 2027 general election. Nwagwu emphasized that public attention has been disproportionately focused on INEC, while the role of political parties in producing flawed elections through poor internal democracy has been largely ignored.
"Nigerians underestimate the role political parties play in the outcome of secondary elections," Nwagwu stated. "If the primary elections are bad, the outcome will reflect in the main elections. Ninety percent of the challenges we have in our elections are due to lack of internal democracy – imposition of candidates, absence of genuine contest, and lack of competition within parties."
The Scapegoating of INEC
Nwagwu explained that politicians often go behind the scenes to compromise officials and subvert electoral rules, only to blame INEC when crises erupt. "The challenge is that we are fixated on the election administrator, whose job is simply to conduct elections. But politicians often go behind the scenes to compromise officials and subvert the rules. When crises erupt, INEC becomes the scapegoat," he said.
He called on citizens and civil society groups to pay closer attention to internal party activities, including the wave of defections and how they affect cohesion and stability within parties. Nwagwu stressed that meaningful reform must go beyond frequent amendments to electoral laws, insisting that politicians must change their attitudes towards democracy and elections.
Critical Areas for Electoral Reform
As the National Assembly prepares to resume deliberations on electoral reforms and possible amendments to the Electoral Act, Nwagwu identified several key areas requiring urgent attention:
- Result Management and Collation: He clarified that the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) does not amount to electronic collation and called for a system that allows electronic collation of results from polling units to local governments.
- Expansion of Democratic Space: Nwagwu advocated for reforms such as reserved seats for women, diaspora voting, and early voting to enhance Nigeria's democratic processes.
- Ideological Competition: He lamented the absence of ideological competition in Nigeria's political landscape, noting that the country has opposition figures rather than opposition parties.
"Most of them offer no alternative economic vision. What we see repeatedly is the same IMF-driven agenda of privatisation, regardless of which party is in power," Nwagwu added.
Warning Ahead of 2027 Elections
Nwagwu warned that as preparations for the 2027 elections intensify, politicians will increasingly attempt to dominate public discourse and divert attention from substantive governance issues. "From February, we will begin to see the polity heat up. Politicians have mastered the art of distraction, and citizens must not allow them to control the narrative," he said.
He urged citizens to ask critical questions about how leaders have improved lives in health, education, and the economy, rather than being swayed by superficial gestures like distributing food items without engaging constituents on legislative performance.
This report comes at a crucial time as Nigeria seeks to strengthen its electoral integrity and ensure that the 2027 general election is free, fair, and reflective of the people's will.
