Ex-REC cites fraud, irregularities, others for voter apathy in electoral system

A former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Anambra state, Dr. Nkwachukwu Orji, has identified “irregularities, fraud, the lack of transparency, disenfranchisement, and misinformation” as acts constituting mistrust in the country’s electoral system.

Orji made the observation as a keynote speaker at one-day stakeholders’ dialogue on rebuilding trust in the electoral process organised by the International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos-Nigeria held in Awka, the State capital under the component 4 (Support to media) of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria- Phase 2 (EUSDGN II) project.

He also identified “poor voter experience, organisational flaws, questionable handling of different electoral processes and unprofessional conduct of officials during election” as contributory factors to decline in Nigerians trust of electoral processes.

Also speaking, the REC in Anambra state, Dr. Elizabeth Agwu, reminded of the dangers of trading votes for money during elections, noting that it would continue to undermine the integrity of Nigeria’s democracy and hinder the country’s progress if left unchecked.

On his part, the chairman of the occasion and former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Enugu state, Dr. Emeka Ononamadu, urged stakeholders in the electoral process to look deep for the root causes of the widespread disillusionment with elections and find ways of getting it right to build a better society because elections were the cornerstone of every nation.

Earlier, Executive Director of IPC, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, said the dialogue was targeted at seeking further reforms aimed at strengthening the electoral system through potential amendments to the Constitution and the Electoral Act of 2022.

Arogundade, represented by IPC Programme Manager, Ms. Stella Nwofia, emphasised that managing elections in the country remained a complex task that would be difficult to handle by INEC alone; “hence the need for collaborative approach involving all sectors of society.”