Nigeria’s electoral system has been plagued by deep-seated challenges, including attacks on journalists, vote buying, and political interference, which have eroded public trust in the system. In response to these concerns, the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) convened an advocacy meeting in Abuja to chart a path towards credible elections, starting with the Anambra election scheduled for November 2025.

The meeting brought together key stakeholders from the media and civil society, emphasizing the need for them to uphold their pivotal role in safeguarding democracy in the country. Speakers at the meeting highlighted pressing concerns, including political influence in media ownership, electoral malpractice, proliferation of fake news, and the independence of electoral bodies.

The meeting also called for stricter accountability from security agencies following documented attacks on 89 journalists during the 2023 elections. To address these concerns, the meeting produced a series of resolutions, including urging journalists to intensify investigative reporting, hold public officials accountable, and collaborate with civil society to promote voter education.

The meeting also called on President Ahmed Tinubu to ensure that politically exposed persons are not appointed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The National Assembly was tasked with unbundling INEC and making electronic result transmission mandatory. Furthermore, security agencies were urged to protect journalists covering elections and eliminate the militarization of the electoral process.

Political parties were reminded of their duty to uphold internal democracy, transparent campaign financing, and issue-based campaigns. The essence of these discussions was to safeguard Nigeria’s democracy by ensuring electoral transparency, press freedom, and accountability at all levels, especially as the nation prepares for the 2027 general elections.