2023 elections damaged INEC, Judiciary reputations – TMG

The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) has raised serious concerns over the conduct of the 2023 general elections, warning that the exercise eroded public trust in Nigeria’s democratic institutions and cast doubts on the integrity of future polls.

This was contained in a statement presented at the public unveiling of TMG’s post-election report at the CISLAC Conference Hall in Abuja. The report, titled Telescoping Nigeria’s Elections: 2023 Election Cycle in Perspective, offers a critical assessment of the electoral process, pointing to voter suppression, electoral violence, and institutional failures.

According to the report, the 2023 elections, despite initial optimism following the introduction of legal reforms and technological innovations such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal, were marred by procedural lapses and credibility issues.

It noted that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) failed to uphold transparency, particularly in the transmission of polling unit results, thereby fuelling widespread allegations of manipulation.

The group also expressed concern over the judiciary’s growing influence in determining electoral outcomes, arguing that the trend calls into question the role of citizens in selecting their leaders through the ballot. It described this shift as a threat to electoral credibility and public confidence in the democratic process.

Beyond the general elections, the report highlighted the challenges observed in off-cycle governorship elections in Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo states, stating that incidents of vote-buying, political violence and misuse of security personnel continued to undermine the integrity of the process.

TMG further warned that the country’s political landscape is shifting dangerously towards a one-party system, with political actors defecting across party lines and weakening democratic competition. It noted that such developments portend serious implications for the 2027 general elections and called for immediate reforms to protect democratic values.

The report called call on government institutions, civil society and international development partners to intensify support for electoral integrity, civic education as well as institutional independence as critical pillars for credible elections in Nigeria.