Premium News
A non-profit organisation, Yiaga Africa, has said that more than half of Nigerians do not trust the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The group’s Executive Director, Samson Itodo, stated this on Friday during an interview on Prime Time, a programme on Arise Television.
Itodo said issues such as conflicting results from the same polling unit, election officials subverting the will of voters, and the pre-filling of result sheets have continued to erode public confidence in the electoral body.
“It’s very dangerous. It is clear from the survey that more than half of Nigerians don’t trust INEC, and they don’t trust INEC for several reasons. One, it’s the way and manner and their experience with previous elections,” he said.
According to him, the level of distrust is not surprising, given the experiences of voters over time, adding that the problem goes beyond INEC alone.
“It’s also the conduct of the other actors within the election value chain – the security agencies, the judiciary.
“All of these actors, their conduct, inactions or mismanagement of the electoral process have adverse effects on the way citizens perceive elections,” Itodo said.
He noted that the widespread distrust is evident among citizens and explained that this was why the current INEC chairman has repeatedly acknowledged the need for the commission to do more to build trust and confidence.
Itodo stressed that how INEC handles logistics, result management, collation and transmission, as well as political party registration, is crucial to restoring public faith in the system.
“With primaries set to begin soon, how INEC manages the nomination process, the primaries and congresses, and how it scrutinises and accepts candidates’ lists from political parties will matter a lot,” he said.
He warned that accepting candidates’ lists from parties that did not conduct valid primaries would seriously damage the integrity of the commission.
“In a situation where INEC accepts a list of candidates from political parties when validly conducted primaries have not held, it would really cast a blight on the integrity of the commission,” he added.
While commending the INEC chairman for consistently speaking about the need to inspire trust since assuming office, Itodo said stakeholders must remain vigilant.
He linked declining voter turnout to the way electoral actors manage the process, noting that poor management directly affects citizens’ willingness to participate.
