In every democracy, elections are not only about voting and counting votes, it is also about the confidence people have in the institutions responsible for conducting elections In Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is the body responsible for conducting elections.
As Nigeria is moving towards the 2027 general elections, one important question is whether Nigerians still have confidence in INEC and the electoral process
The issue of public trust became more serious after the 2023 general elections The European Union Election Observation Mission said the election exposed weaknesses in the way the election was conducted and that some of the problems affected the trust of Nigerians in INEC.
Technology was introduced to improve the electoral process INEC used the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal, IReV. These were expected to make the election more transparent and improve the credibility of the results.
However, there were challenges during the 2023 election, especially with the uploading of results on the IReV The delay in uploading some results created questions and concerns among voters and political parties.
This shows that technology alone cannot solve all the problems in an election There must also be proper communication, transparency and clear explanation from INEC whenever there is a problem.
Another issue is the voters register INEC has raised concerns about issues such as duplicate registrations, registration of people who are not citizens and names of deceased persons on the voters register. Such issues can affect the confidence people have in the electoral process.
Voter turnout is also another concern According to INEC, the number of Nigerians who participated in presidential elections has continued to reduce over the years. Turnout was 53.7 per cent in 2011, 43.6 per cent in 2015, 34.7 per cent in 2019 and 26.7 per cent in 2023.
When people believe that their votes may not make any difference, some of them may decide not to vote This can further reduce participation in elections and affect the level of confidence in democracy.
But the challenge of public trust is not only the responsibility of INEC Political parties, politicians, security agencies, the media, civil society groups and voters also have important roles to play.
Political parties and candidates need to respect the electoral rules and avoid spreading information that can mislead the public Where there are disagreements about election results, there are legal processes through which such issues can be challenged.
The media also has an important role Journalists should provide accurate information about voter registration, election procedures and results. This can help reduce the spread of misinformation, especially on the social media.
For INEC, transparency will be very important as the country prepares for 2027 The commission needs to communicate with Nigerians clearly and explain what it is doing to address the problems experienced in previous elections.
INEC has already released its timetable for the 2027 general elections The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State House of Assembly elections are scheduled for February 6, 2027.
The period before the election allows INEC to address some of the concerns raised by Nigerians and stakeholders Building trust will not happen through promises alone. Nigerians will want to see transparency, proper use of technology, good communication and equal application of electoral rules.
At the end, the credibility of an election is not only about who wins or loses, it is also about whether the people believe that the process was fair and transparent
For Nigeria, rebuilding public confidence in the electoral process will remain an important part of strengthening democracy ahead of the 2027 general elections
Furyam wrote from Bauchi State via bashirfuryam1@gmailcom