A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) has called on the National Assembly to make the electronic transmission of election results mandatory in Nigeria’s electoral laws.
Gatekeepers News reports that the demand was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the National Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Electoral Reform, held on September 30, and organised by the Youth Electoral Reform Project (YERP-Naija).
The forum brought together electoral stakeholders to strengthen consensus around reform proposals aimed at improving the country’s electoral process.
According to the communiqué, the CSOs urged the National Assembly to fast-track the ongoing electoral reform process and conclude it before December 2025.
“Public confidence in the electoral process remains low due to widespread dissatisfaction with the process of recent elections in the country,” the statement read.
The group said credible elections are fundamental to a healthy democracy and urged lawmakers, state assemblies, and the president to adopt constitutional alterations that enhance credibility and public trust.
Among their key proposals, the CSOs recommended amending the constitution to transfer the power to appoint the INEC chairman from the president to an independent and non-partisan committee, and to ensure that pre- and post-election petitions are concluded before winners are sworn in.
They also demanded constitutional amendments to allow independent candidacy, saying it would make the process more inclusive, and called for the removal of INEC’s role in registering and regulating political parties, transferring that responsibility to a proposed Political Party Registration and Regulatory Commission.
The coalition further sought a reduction in the minimum age requirement for contesting senatorial and governorship elections from 35 to 30 years, to increase youth participation in governance, as well as the creation of reserved seats for women in the legislature to promote gender inclusion and fairness.
“There should be an amendment of the 2022 Electoral Act to make the electronic transmission of election results for collation mandatory to deter electoral fraud,” the communiqué stated.
Other recommendations included the establishment of an Electoral Offences Commission to take over INEC’s prosecutorial powers, provisions for early voting, and diaspora voting for Nigerians abroad.
Partner organisations represented at the forum included Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), The New Generation Girls and Women Development Initiative (NIGAWD), Child Protection and Peer Learning Initiative (CPPLI), Catch Them Young Community Initiative (CATYCOI), JESZ Development Foundation (J-DEV), and Connected Advocacy.
Also in attendance were representatives of student unions, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs), media groups, activists, and social media influencers.
