The ECOWAS Pre-Election Fact-Finding Mission has commenced engagements with key stakeholders in Nigeria to assess the country’s preparedness for the 2027 general elections and identify potential challenges to credible polls.
Former Vice-President of Sierra Leone and Head of the Mission, Victor Foh, disclosed this during a visit to the headquarters of the National Civil Society Council of Nigeria (NCSCN) in Abuja on Friday.
Foh said the mission was deployed pursuant to Article 13 of the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, Article 53C of the ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework and a decision of the Authority of Heads of State and Government.
He said the mission would engage political party leaders, government officials, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), civil society organisations and other stakeholders.
It would also gather relevant legal documents governing the 2027 electoral process and assess the political atmosphere and conditions for the elections, he said.
Foh urged civil society organisations to promote voter participation and hold political parties accountable for their campaign promises.
He also urged political parties to present clear, honest and practical programmes to voters rather than resort to hate speech and personal attacks.
“The country is made up of you, so the responsibility goes back to you.
“The message must be straight, very brief, honest and truthful.
“When a politician makes promises to you and you elect him, you must hold him accountable if he fails to fulfil those promises,” he said.
The Executive Director of NCSCN, Blessing Akinlosotu, raised concerns over INEC’s independence, the credibility of the voter register and the implementation of previous ECOWAS electoral recommendations.
Akinlosotu said Nigeria had implemented less than 40 per cent of the recommendations made by ECOWAS in 2023, including those relating to INEC’s independence and the appointment of its chairman.
He also expressed concern over alleged AI-generated photographs in the voter register, saying the development had raised questions about public confidence in the electoral process.
“The people want to see that the election will be credible. It is when they know that the election will be credible that the masses will want to come out,” he said.
Akinlosotu called for the establishment of an independent electoral offences tribunal to ensure the speedy prosecution of electoral offenders.
He said existing courts were burdened with criminal, civil and pre-election cases, making a specialised tribunal necessary for the timely dispensation of electoral justice.
He also expressed concern over vote-buying, intimidation and alleged harassment of political actors, urging security agencies to remain neutral and independent of political interests.
Akinlosotu called on ECOWAS to strengthen its engagement with member states to promote peaceful, transparent and credible elections.
Also speaking, NCSCN Director of Media, Gambo Jangidi, identified the credibility of the voter register and communication between INEC, political parties and citizens as major concerns ahead of the 2027 elections.
Jangidi said civil society organisations across the North-West, North-East and North-Central were concerned about the electoral process, particularly allegations of AI-generated entries in the voter register.
He said inadequate communication by INEC with citizens and political parties could further undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
“The credibility of INEC’s voter register is a thing of concern, because recently names were discovered on the voter register that are AI-generated,” he said.
Jangidi urged ECOWAS to collaborate more closely with NCSCN to strengthen information gathering and grassroots engagement.
He said such collaboration would enable civil society groups to relay citizens’ concerns to relevant authorities and contribute to a credible electoral process.
He urged the mission to consider the concerns raised by civil society organisations in its assessment and subsequent engagements with relevant authorities.
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