KDI Advocates Electoral Reforms Ahead of 2027 Elections

KDI Advocates Electoral Reforms Ahead of 2027 Elections

….Says only 215 of 1,900 electoral offenders prosecuted in four years

…Group seeks creation of Electoral Offences Commission, urges media, lawmakers to drive reform agenda

JOEL OLADELE, ABUJA

The Executive Director of Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), Bukola Idowu, has called for urgent electoral reforms ahead of the 2027 general elections, revealing that only 215 out of 1,900 electoral offenders arrested between 2019 and 2023 were prosecuted, with less than 15 convicted.

Idowu stated this on Friday in his keynote address at a media engagement on electoral and constitutional reforms held in Abuja, noting that the low rate of prosecution shows Nigeria’s weak accountability framework in election management.

“Between 2019 and 2023, 1,900 electoral offenders were arrested, but only 215 were prosecuted, and less than 15 were convicted. People rig elections and still go scot-free. Some even emerge as lawmakers or governors despite committing electoral crimes,” Idowu said.

He urged the National Assembly to prioritise the establishment of an Electoral Offences Commission, explaining that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is already burdened with too many responsibilities, making it ineffective in handling prosecutions.

“INEC is organising elections, doing voter education, managing logistics, monitoring campaigns, and still prosecuting offenders. No single institution can be effective doing all that,” he stressed.

Idowu highlighted five key reform areas being pushed by KDI and other civil society groups, including timely electronic transmission of election results, the creation of an Electoral Offences Commission, continuous voter registration, transparent internal democracy in political parties, and a clearer legal framework for election adjudication.

He emphasised the need to move the clause on electronic result transmission from INEC’s internal guidelines into the Electoral Act to avoid ambiguity, which caused confusion during the 2023 general elections.

“Over 10,000 petitions were filed after the 2023 elections, many citing INEC’s failure to upload results. But the courts dismissed most because electronic transmission was not clearly mandated by law,” he explained.

The KDI boss also criticised the episodic nature of voter registration in Nigeria, saying that continuous voter registration should be a process rather than an event.

“When Nigerians turn 18, they should be able to register anytime at their local government, not wait for INEC’s schedule,” he said.

In his remarks, the Interim Country Director of the National Democratic Institute (NDI), Francis Madugu, commended the media’s growing engagement in electoral reform conversations and called for stronger collaboration between journalists, civil society and lawmakers.

“The media remains the bridge between citizens and policymakers. It has the power to keep electoral reform at the centre of public debate. Credible elections are the foundation of good governance,” Madugu said.

Both KDI and NDI urged Nigerians to see electoral reform as a national project that determines leadership quality and strengthens democracy.