The Peering Advocacy and Advancement Center in Africa (PAACA) frowned at political parties and their agents for allegedly failing to utilize innovations introduced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to improve the credibility of the elections.
PAACA Executive Director, Ezenwa Nwagwu who spoke at a one day citizens townhall meeting on electoral reforms held in Yola, claimed that party agents with polling unit election results in their hands often pocket them instead of using them to crosscheck what INEC uploads.
The pro-democracy activist remarked that political parties are fully capable of participating in the process and ensuring transparency by comparing the results uploaded from polling units with the manually collated ones.
Nwagwu clarified misconceptions surrounding the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV), stating that it serves only as a viewing platform and not a collation center.
While acknowledging improvements in Nigeria’s electoral system, Nwagwu noted that more work is needed particularly on issues relating to persistent challenge of logistics.
“Why are politicians not collating the results given at polling units to verify what INEC uploads? IREV is not a collation center—it is a viewing center,” he emphasized.
“Our elections are improving. But we are not following the improvements that are taking place. Every system that sees improvement also has room for further enhancement. We want citizens to identify specific areas that require more reforms. For instance, INEC’s logistics remain a challenge. Polls do not open on time—what can be done to improve this?”
He explained that voter education encompasses more than just understanding the voting process, saying that it also involves civic education, which conveys knowledge of a country’s political system and context.
He highlighted the need for elections to be approached from an informed perspective, noting that despite technological advancements, Nigeria’s electoral system based on the current legal regime remains broadly speaking, manual.
Dr Bulila Nyahama Daniel, an official of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) said it is important to enlighten citizens on their responsibilities to the country and also the role of government.
He tasked Nigerians to continue to engage in the electoral process and strengthen the country’s democracy.
The meeting supported by the MacArthur Foundation drew participants from Civil society organizations (CSOs), Political Parties, Security agencies, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), National Orientation Agency (NOA), Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), FIDA, the Media, community and traditional leaders.
