Stakeholders Canvass Enlightenment On INEC Guidelines For Election Observers

Election stakeholders in the country have called for more education for election observers to avoid the confusion, procedural error, poor reportage and lack of adherence to the observers’ code of conduct which have characterised poll in the country.

They said most civil society groups mismanaged their interface with Nigerians during the 2023 elections that sent out a faulty narrative on the integrity of the electoral process.

These were part of the resolutions reached at the end of a two-day post-election review meeting for civil society organisations (CSOs) organised by Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA) in collaboration with National Orientation Agency (NOA).

In a communique signed at the end of the meeting, the stakeholders said the objective of the reflection meeting was to conduct an in-depth assessment and introspection of the role civil society organisations played in the electoral process, pinpoint notable observations, acknowledge commendable practices, identify challenges encountered, and devise recommendations that will bolster the integrity and inclusiveness of future elections within the Nigerian context.

“While there was a significant media presence, reports of biased coverage and the spread of misinformation highlighted the need for media outlets to uphold their responsibility in providing accurate information to the public. It also played out how CSOs and the media fueled suspicion of citizens which was considered a fundamental gap,” the communique signed by Monday Osasah, chairman communique drafting committee noted.

On the challenges election observation groups faced, the communique noted that there were indications most CSOs were not focused on any niche in the elections which potentially undermined the principle of election observation in the country.

It reads, “Weak Observation Spread: The challenges to cover a wide range of polling units further undermined the outcome of reports fueling fake news on social media platforms and raised concerns about the manipulation of public opinion.”

Among other recommendations, the stakeholders said the civil society organisation must institutionalise transparent communication with their observers as a panacea to eliminate political and neo-eugenics influence.

On methodology in election observation, the stakeholders recommended the need to strengthen the methodology in election observation to ensure the integrity of the process and reports about the electoral process, and the importance of their participation.