Abuja, Aug. 29, 2024 (TheGavel) – Yiaga Africa, a prominent Civil Society Organisation (CSO), has emphasized that a shift in politicians’ attitudes is crucial for ensuring credible elections in Nigeria.

Mr. Samson Itodo, Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, shared this perspective during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday.

“It is essential for politicians to change their attitudes towards politics to improve the integrity of elections in Nigeria,” Itodo stated. He stressed that a fundamental shift in politicians’ behavior would significantly enhance electoral credibility.

Itodo criticized the prevailing zero-sum approach and do-or-die attitude among politicians, which he said leads to the undermining of democratic institutions and the circumvention of electoral rules.

“Politicians need to show a genuine commitment to democratic values and respect the people’s will as an act of patriotism and dedication to nation-building,” he added.

He also called on the judiciary to resist political pressures that could lead to justice being compromised and the subversion of the people’s will.

Itodo proposed several reforms to strengthen the electoral process, including:

• Making electronic transmission of results mandatory, along with the uploading of polling unit-level results and results sheets used during collation.
• Clarifying the role of technology in results management and resolving ambiguities in the results collation and transmission process.
• Establishing principles and timelines for mandatory testing and mock exercises for electoral technologies deployed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
• Reviewing voter identification requirements to boost citizen participation, including incorporating additional acceptable means of identification such as driver’s licenses, international passports, and national identity cards.

He also suggested that the Electoral Act be amended to include other legally acceptable means of voter identification beyond the Permanent Voters’ Card (PVC). Additionally, Itodo recommended reducing the timeframe for handling appeals on pre-election and election petitions from 60 days to 30 days and confining appeals related to National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly to the Court of Appeal.