By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA – AHEAD of the 2027 general elections, Civil Society Organizations, CSOs, under the auspices of National Multi-Stakeholders Forum, has called on President Bola Tinubu, the National Assembly, and State Houses of Assembly to conclude on the constitutional and electoral reforms by December 2025.

The call was contained in a communique signed by leaders of the the CSOs; Bukola Idowu, Executive Director, Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), and YERP-Naija Campaign
North Central/National Coordinator; Abimbola Aladejare-Salako, Executive Director, New Generation Girls and Women Development (NIGAWD), and YERP-Naija Campaign South-South Coordinator; Ashraf Tukur, Executive Director, Child Protection and Peer Learning Initiative (CPPLI) and YERP Naija Campaign North-East Coordinator; Zigwai Ayuba, Executive Director, JAEZ Development Foundation (J-DEV), and YERP-Naija Campaign North-West Coordinator; Nonso Orakwe, Executive Director, Catch Them Young Community Initiative (CATYCOI), and YERP Naija Campaign South-East Coordinator; and Prince Israel Orekha, Executive Director, Connected Advocacy, and YERP-Naija Campaign South-South Coordinator, after hosting the Youth Electoral Reform Project (YERP-Naija), held in Abuja.

Meanwhile, the objectives of the Forum were to strengthen electoral stakeholders’ consensus on valuable reform proposals that can improve Nigeria’s electoral process, to identify areas for coordination of advocacy efforts, and to set an agenda for the National Assembly to accelerate the electoral reform process upon return from recess in October.

The Forum followed the stakeholders’ participation in all 19 public hearings hosted by the Senate and House of Representatives Constitutional Review Committees, and the consultative meetings of the Joint National Assembly Committee on Electoral Matters.

The communique reads in part, “To address growing public concerns and build trust in Nigeria’s electoral process, the Forum calls on the President to appoint a new INEC Chairman and National Commissioners in strict compliance with constitutional dictates.

“This particularly suffices if the president chooses to appoint a new INEC Chairman before the conclusion of the constitutional review process which may change the mode of appointment of
evolving a system that would further enhance citizens’ participation in the appointment process to build the INEC Chairman and National Commissioners.

“The Forum urges the President to be magnanimous in public trust in the leadership of the new INEC and in Nigeria’s electoral process.

“That the National Assembly, State Houses of Assembly and the President should conclude the
constitutional and electoral reform process by December 2025, to create time for sensitizing the public on new provisions in the Constitution, Electoral Act and other laws, and the actual implementation of these provisions.”

The Forum had Goodwill Messages from the President of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, Alhassan Abdullahi; Executive Director of the Kukah Centre, Rev Fr Attah Barkindo; and Interim Country Director of NDI, William McKechnie.

Meanwhile, the President, Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Ayam Osigwe, delivered a Keynote Address on the topic, ‘Achieving Impactful Electoral Reforms: The Importance of Coordinating Advocacy Efforts for Results at Critical Stages of the Reform Process’.

Participants at the Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Electoral Reform included Executive Directors of YERP-Naija partners organizations, Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) (North-Central/National partner); The New Generation Girls and Women Development Initiative (NIGAWD) (South-west partner); Child Protection and Peer Learning Initiative (CPPLI) (North East partner); Catch Them Young Community Initiative (CATYCOI) (South East partner); and JESZ Development Foundation (JDEV) (North West partner), Connected Advocacy (South South partner).

Other participants included representatives of student unions, leading civil society organizations (CSOs), Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Organisation of People with Disabilities (OPDs), media organizations, activists and social media influencers.