Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room and NUJ Unite to Promote Electoral Integrity

The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) have joined forces to advocate for electoral integrity in Nigeria. In a meeting convened on February 28, 2025, in Abuja, key stakeholders in the media and civil society gathered to discuss potential partnerships and strategies to promote credibility and accountability in Nigeria’s elections.

Key Issues Affecting Electoral Integrity

Participants identified several critical issues impacting Nigeria’s elections, including:

• Persistent attacks on journalists and the failure of security agencies to hold perpetrators accountable
• Political influence in media ownership
• Electoral malpractices, such as vote buying and result manipulation
• Credibility of INEC and SIECs nomination and screening processes
• Independence of INEC and SIECs
• Proliferation of misinformation and fake news
• Poor internal party democracy
• Inconsistencies in Nigeria’s voter register

Resolutions and Recommendations

To address these challenges, the meeting reached the following resolutions:

• Media: Hold government and public officials accountable, prioritize investigative reporting, and advocate for policy reforms promoting press freedom and electoral accountability.
• President: Ensure no politically exposed persons are nominated into INEC, protect the independence of the Judiciary and INEC.
• National Assembly: Unbundle INEC, amend the electoral act to mandate electronic transmission of election results, and expedite the Election Offences Commission Bill.
• INEC: Publish information on electoral malpractices, provide financial allocation and expenditure details, and regulate political parties’ campaign finance reports.
• Police/Security: Investigate and prosecute attacks on journalists, eliminate militarization of elections, and protect journalists covering elections.
• Political Parties: Imbibe internal party democracy, adhere to laws on political and campaign financing, and commit to issue-based campaigns.

The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room and NUJ reaffirmed their commitment to promoting credible, transparent, and accountable elections in Nigeria