YIAGA Says Nigerian Election Reforms Are Undermined

Nigerian election reforms are being undermined, according to Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth, and Advancement (YIAGA) Africa, by desperate politicians vying for political power.

In an interview with Politics Today on Channels Television, Samson Itodo, the Executive Director of Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth, and Advancement (YIAGA) Africa, made this claim.

To curb the excesses of those who undermine the system, Itodo advocated for legislation.

Elections lacking credibility, he pointed out, are threatened by things like results sheets from polling places being ready before voters have even cast their ballots.

Itodo said, “The BVAS—politicians have now come to accept the fact that this device is a game changer; it limits multiple voting and limits voting by proxy and what they have now employed is the BVAS bypass because they know how powerful it is in ensuring the integrity of the process.

“But what you see is this constant attempt to undermine the process. When we think about reforms and bigger lessons, we need to speak to our political class on the need for them to change their attitudes towards elections.

“We need laws that limit the excesses of individuals who want to subvert the process. We have to demand integrity from our politicians and for them to play by the rules of the game,” Itodo said.

Jide Ojo, a public affairs analyst who also talked on the program, highlighted his worry about the mindset of the political elite that undermines the democratic process.

He emphasized that electoral reform goes beyond administrative or legislative adjustments and that the political class as a whole needs to adopt new attitudes.

Ojo urged cooperation in tackling the obstacles and dangers facing Nigerian democracy.

He criticized the elite’s propensity to squash anyone who opposes their interests and bemoaned their determination to thwart the electoral litigation process.

“There were so many reforms in that 2022 Electoral Act, but in 2023, we have seen the subversion of these technological devices. We have seen how they have been aided and abetted by the court, dwelling very much on technicalities.

“I seriously have concerns about the character and attitude of the current species of our political elite, who stops at nothing—you cannot stand up to them; they crush you; if they cannot induce you to do their bidding, they will crush you.

“A lot of threats to democracy are now afloat. We need to show concern; electoral reform is not just about legal or administrative reforms; it’s attitudinal reforms,” he said.