Stakeholders have called for greater citizen participation, stronger political competition and improved transparency in local government elections across Nigeria, saying peaceful polls alone are not enough to guarantee credible democratic processes.

The call was made at a post-election stakeholders’ reflection convened by the Young Leaders Network (YLN), Bauchi State, following the State local government elections held on August 17, 2026. The forum, held on Thursday, August 27, brought together representatives of political parties, civil society organisations, youth and women groups, the media, persons with disabilities and other civic stakeholders to assess the conduct of the elections and identify priorities for strengthening future local electoral processes.

Participants acknowledged that the election was largely peaceful, with YLN’s rapid citizen feedback indicating that 69 per cent of reports described the process as peaceful and orderly, with no major incident of physical violence recorded through its structured reporting mechanism.

However, the stakeholders stressed that the absence of violence should not be mistaken for a comprehensive measure of electoral credibility. They identified low voter turnout, delayed or absent polling activities, weak public information, reduced political competition, limited independent scrutiny and uncertainty surrounding aspects of the legal and operational framework as major challenges requiring urgent attention.

The team leader of YLN, Seun Justin Onarinde, expressed concerns over low voter participation. According to him, YLN’s citizen feedback showed that 44 per cent of reports recorded fewer than 20 voters waiting when voting commenced, including polling locations serving significantly larger numbers of registered voters.

Stakeholders cautioned against attributing the development solely to voter apathy, arguing that weak mobilisation, inadequate information, limited candidate engagement, uncertainty about the electoral process and declining confidence in local elections could also have contributed to the low turnout.

The participants therefore urged electoral stakeholders across Nigeria to make local government elections more meaningful and competitive by improving voter education, candidate engagement, grassroots mobilisation and public confidence in the electoral process.

“Make election information easy to find and understand. Publish one consolidated election information pack containing the timetable, candidate lists, voting procedures, observer guidelines, complaints process and result-management framework.

“Voter education should begin early and use radio, local languages, community networks and accessible formats.
Strengthen Election-Day readiness and transparency. Ensure timely deployment of personnel and materials to every polling unit and publicly account for locations where voting is delayed, disrupted or does not hold.

“Institutionalise stakeholder participation. Establish a clear framework for regular engagement with political parties, CSOs, media, women, youth and persons with disabilities, including transparent observer accreditation and post-election review.
Incorporate People Living with Disabilities (PWDs) into electoral processes by including components and resources that enable their active participation at the local level,” they demanded.

On legislation, the stakeholders urged the state assembly to review and clarify the legal framework for local government elections. “The law should clearly define election timelines, nomination processes, voter information requirements, result publication, complaints procedures, observer participation, inclusion standards and allow petitions and tribunals.

“Strengthen safeguards for BASIEC’s independence and accountability. The Assembly should examine provisions relating to funding, appointments, reporting and operational autonomy so the Commission can discharge its mandate credibly and transparently.
Provide legislative oversight between elections. Post-election hearings should examine lessons from each electoral cycle and track implementation of agreed reforms before the next poll.”