A political scientist from Babcock University, Professor Adele Jinadu, has called on the federal government to implement the Uwais report to enhance the quality of elections in Nigeria.
He made the call in his address at the Abubakar Momoh Memorial Lecture, titled ‘The 2023 General Election: Reflecting on Preparation Lessons for Off-Cycle Governorship Elections,’ which took place at the Electoral Institute in Abuja yesterday.
The Uwais report originated from the initiative of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua, who, on August 28, 2007, established a 22-member electoral review committee, led by justice Uwais. The committee’s primary mandate was to critically assess the electoral process and provide recommendations for necessary reforms.
Professor Jinadu, who is also a member of the governing council of The Electoral Institute, emphasised the recurring challenges related to the deployment of officials, materials, and logistical arrangements for elections.
He lamented that these challenges have consistently eroded the credibility of the electoral process.
Professor Jinadu highlighted that the incorporation of technology has raised apprehensions among the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), stakeholders in the electoral process, the general electorate, and the public at large.
On that note, he advised that the federal government need to address “the anti-democratic diabolic politics and its facilitative toxic economic, political and socio-cultural environment that continue to diminish the feasibility of democracy and development in the country.
“The federal government should adopt a strategic plan divided into short-to-medium term covering the 2023-2027 electoral cycle, to pursue, among other political reforms, outstanding electoral reforms recommended by the Uwais Electoral Reform Committee.”
Also, the director-general of, the Independent National Electoral Commission, TEI, Sa’ad Idris, said the off-cycle elections are another opportunity for INEC to improve its processes.
Idris stated, “Consequently, the Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo States Governorship Elections are yet another opportunity for the Commission to fine-tune its policies, processes and procedure towards achieving a more credible, transparent and acceptable electoral outcome, aimed at strengthening and deepening our democratic culture.”
