Barry Andrews, the European Union’s chief observer and a member of the European Parliament, paid Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Chairman, an official visit.  ,  ,
Following the last general election, the follow-up mission will be able to provide updates on how well their recommendations have been implemented.
23 recommendations, with eight specifically directed to INEC, were made by the Mission in July 2023, while the rest were directed at the Executive and the National Assembly.
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The final report on the 25 February and 18 March 2023 federal and state elections was released by the European Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) on June 27.
The Chief Observer, Barry Andrews, a member of the European Parliament, stated that “Nigerians demonstrated a steadfast commitment to the democratic process in the run-up to the 2023 general elections.” However, the election exposed persistent systemic flaws and calls for more legal and operational reforms to improve accountability, inclusion, and transparency.
The EU EOM made its findings and recommendations following a three-month observation across Nigeria, revealing that inaccuracies in the electoral administration hampered the running of fair and impartial elections and hampered INEC’s trust.
According to Barry Andrews, the Mission is particularly concerned about the priority recommendations for reform in six areas.
The six top recommendations address the need to address: (1) clarify the law; (2) set up a public scrutiny selection process for INEC members; (3) ensure real-time publication and access to election results; (3) increase media protection; address (5) discrimination against women in political life; and (6) impunity regarding electoral crimes.
According to Chief Observer Barry Andrews, political will is necessary to improve Nigerian democracy. It is still important to engage in comprehensive discussion among all parties involved in electoral reform. In implementing these recommendations, the European Union is prepared to support Nigerian stakeholders.
The EU EOM claimed to have completed its work between January 11 and April 11th, 2023, at INEC’s invitation. The EU EOM gathered with a delegation from the European Parliament to observe the presidential and legislative elections.
110 observers from 25 EU member states, as well as Norway, Switzerland, and Canada, were accreditated by the mission.
The Mission made the following 23 recommendations:
1. By removing errors and ambiguities from electoral law and regulations to prevent potential conflicting interpretations, and ensuring that the revision processes are inclusive, protect the interests of voters through certainty of law for all stages and aspects of electoral processes.
2. Implement timely, inclusive consultation to ensure institutional accountability.
publication and dissemination of all election-related laws, regulations, and guidelines, and enactment of consolidated official legislation that is available in hard copy and online through the INEC website.
3. Establish a robust operational framework to ensure electoral administration’s independence, integrity, and effectiveness through a transparent and open-door selection process for REC candidates based on rigorous evaluation criteria for merit, qualifications, and verified non-partisanship.
4. Improve the capacity of the electoral staff by updating the electoral staff’s procedures and providing training for the election supervisors, collation officers, and ad-hoc polling staff, focusing on the use of technology, counting, and completing polling unit results and collation forms.
5. By requiring in law the timely release of test and audit results, along with protocols, guidelines, implementation methodology, procurement, and functionality details, to ensure transparency and permit public scrutiny of election technology,
6. Protect the right to free speech and the integrity of elections.
by creating a results processing system that is robust, transparent, and quickly vérifiable
a clear system of regulations. These include uploading polling unit results directly from the polling unit, and in real time, at each level of collation results.
to be published in a database format that is both easily accessible and scrappable, and all forms to be uploaded in real time.
7. Give citizens the opportunity to register during the previous registration period if they are 18 years old before the elections.
8. Establish a trustworthy foundation for an accurate and inclusive voter register by conducting an immediate external independent audit, including in person, to establish a reliable foundation.
data quality assessment, sample analysis, and biometric data quality assessment. The .
implementation of a clear protocol and guidelines for the process to be followed
The register should be kept up and held accountable in the public.
9. By limiting charging, remove unreasonable limitations on the right to stand.
of excessive fees when a candidate is asked to run in party primary elections.
10. By creating a robust and effective campaign organization, enforce INEC’s campaign regulations.
monitoring and a sanctioning system to stop state-level authorities from obstructing and interfering with their use of incumbency.
11. By establishing strict accounting standards, reporting, and public disclosure requirements for political parties, candidates, and third parties, the campaign finance industry is required to operate pre-agreed dedicated bank accounts for donations, revenues, and spending, with strong sanctions for noncompliance.
12. By creating a comprehensive operational framework that is supported by the tools and resources to prompt investigation and prosecution of all forms of attacks against media practitioners, ensure adequate protection of the right to freedom of expression.
13. Protect the National Broadcasting Commission’s legal and practical independence by upholding its right to freedom of expression and transparency. This could be accomplished by introducing a cross-party approval mechanism, industry professionals’ participation, and/or establishing strict institutional standards for transparency and accountability. This could also be accomplished by introducing an open, inclusive, and competitive system.
14. Transforming the NTA and FRCN into reputable public service broadcasters will help protect pluralism and freedom of expression. This includes provisions for editorial independence, financial autonomy, clear separation from any government institution, and a transparent and competitive management selection process with cross-party review and/or industry professionals’ participation.
15. Amendment overly restrictive legislative provisions that limit this right in the media and online, including the ambiguous definitions of “cyberstalking” in the 2015 Cybercrimes Act and of “classified matters” in the Official Secrets Act, to keep things up with international and regional standards for freedom of expression.
16. To identify, assess, and reduce harmful content while protecting freedom of expression, promote the independent formation of voters’ opinions and reduce manipulative interference through legislative or regulatory measures developed in an inclusive process involving all key stakeholders, including civil society experts.
17. Take urgent and robust affirmative steps to ensure meaningful representation of women through special measures in accordance with the Beijing Declaration.
principles and the National Gender Policy to increase women’s representation in elected office and as candidates, which are further supported by cross-sectoral, increased, and sustained capacity building and awareness of discrimination.
18. Ensure that people with disabilities and the vulnerable have a legitimate opportunity to cast ballots in all election categories, including those who have disabilities and are vulnerable, through a conducive voting environment that allows for independent voting and respect for voter privacy, as well as having sufficient assistive devices.
19. Improve voter access to the right to vote in internally displaced voters by establishing a precise, timely operation plan that includes detailed data on important voter data, specified temporary special measures, polling location, and security.
arrangements, targeted voter education, and early postelection evaluation publication.
20. By ensuring electoral authorities’ public accountability,
law gives reporters and observers full access to all election-related stages.
electoral data, supported by prompt, transparent accreditation procedures, and targeted sanctions for obstructing, intimidating, or using violence.
21. By modifying legal procedures, providing additional resources for adjudication, and consistently and concisely detailing and publishing decisions in a timely manner, including online, to improve voter and candidate certainty, by completing pre-election disputes well in advance of election day, and by advancing election day.
22. By effective interagency coordination that is governed by strict non-partisanship, the use of best resources, effective investigation and sanctioning, and regular public access to consolidated information on outcomes, it can be reduced.
