Yiaga Africa: Electoral reform must tackle INEC independence, vote-buying, cost of politics before 2027
By Cajetan Mmuta, Awka
As Nigeria prepares for the 2027 general elections, Yiaga Africa has warned that tinkering only with the appointment process of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman will not be enough to restore public confidence in the electoral system.
The civil society organisation insists that credible polls will remain elusive unless structural reforms also address vote-buying, electoral violence, and the cost of politics.
At a sensitisation workshop in Awka on Friday for civil society groups, media practitioners, and stakeholders ahead of Anambra’s November 8, 2025, governorship election, Yiaga Africa Programme Director, Cynthia Mbamalu, stressed that removing presidential influence from INEC leadership appointments was a first step to genuine independence.
Mbamalu proposed that a legally backed multi-sectoral screening body—comprising professional groups such as the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), and civil society organisations (CSOs)—should be empowered to screen, shortlist, and recommend candidates for INEC chairmanship.
These nominees, she said, should then be subjected to National Assembly confirmation after a public hearing.
“An INEC chairman must be non-partisan, under 60 years of age, and strong-willed enough to resist pressure from political authorities,” Mbamalu insisted, noting that only such reform can guarantee fair and transparent elections.
Beyond INEC appointments, Yiaga Africa emphasised that electoral credibility is undermined by unchecked vote-buying and thuggery.
The organisation called for explicit provisions in the electoral law that would enforce the arrest and prosecution of perpetrators of electoral offences, arguing that impunity has emboldened offenders.
Prof Nnamdi Aduba, a member of the Yiaga Africa Board of Trustees, went further to argue that Nigeria’s monetised politics fuels desperation and manipulation.
“The huge allowances political office holders enjoy make the power struggle a do-or-die affair. Unless these perks are drastically reduced by law, politicians will continue to buy votes and deploy thugs to secure victory,” Aduba said.
Yiaga Africa also unveiled its plans for robust election monitoring in Anambra, announcing the deployment of 250 trained observers under its Process and Result Verification for Transparency (PRVT) framework across all 21 local governments.
An additional 22 citizen observers will monitor compliance with electoral guidelines and the overall conduct of the polls.
The organisation urged massive sensitisation of women, youth, and grassroots communities to resist intimidation and participate actively in the democratic process.
“If we do not deal decisively with the toxic mix of vote-buying, violence, and institutional weakness, Nigerians will continue to lose faith in democracy,” Mbamalu concluded.
With 2027 looming, Yiaga Africa’s intervention underscores the growing consensus that deep reforms—not cosmetic changes—are required if Nigeria’s democracy is to survive its credibility crisis.
