Stakeholders call for reforms to end godfatherism, guarantee electoral integrity

Stakeholders in Nigeria’s electoral reform processes have called for urgent action to eliminate godfatherism and strengthen electoral integrity, warning that these issues continue to undermine the country’s democratic foundations.

The call was part of recommendations made at the Subnational Strengthening Democracy Conference, held in Lagos on Thursday.

The conference, with the theme “pathway to Good Governance and Political Integrity organized through a strategic partnership between Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA) African Centre For Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD), Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), and Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) brought together diverse stakeholders from academia, political parties, civil society organizations, traditional leaders, and governance experts to assess democratic progress and propose actionable reforms, at subnational level.

The Conference highlighted how political godfatherism, electoral fraud, and weak institutions erode free and fair elections, discourage credible leadership, and diminish public trust in the electoral process.

In his welcome address, Director of Strategy at the African Centre For Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD), Itia Otabor called for the strengthening of democratic institutions at the subnational level especially after the national conference due to the decay in democratic values in recent times.

Otabor expressed concern over weak institutions, poor internal party structures, and the lack of ideological consistency among political parties, arguing that without strong democratic institutions and well-structured parties, Nigeria’s democracy would remain unstable

The keynote speaker, Dr. Asekere Olujoke, a senior lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, Yaba College of Technology, in her address, stressed that while credible and peaceful elections are essential for democracy, they are not enough.

“One key determinant of a flourishing democracy is the quality of institutions,” she stated.

“Institutions such as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the judiciary, the police, and other law enforcement agencies must be strengthened to ensure independence, efficiency, and accountability,” she added.

According to her, “These institutions must be capable of guaranteeing rights, and check abuse of office without fear or favour. For instance, the National Assembly can pass legislation to grant financial autonomy to these institutions, ensuring that they are not beholden to the executive arm of government.

“These institutions should have financial adequacy and autonomy without strings attached. Attached to this, is the appointment of commissioners of INEC. Such appointment must be transparent and senatorial approval must be based on integrity and expertise. Operational autonomy and accountability mechanisms of these institutions are key to strengthening democracy.”

She called for legislative action to grant financial autonomy to electoral and judicial institutions to free them from executive interference. She further emphasized that appointments to INEC’s leadership must be transparent, with Senate approvals based strictly on integrity and expertise.

Dr. Olujoke also underscored the need for greater citizen participation in the democratic process, advocating for voter education, mobilization, and increased civic engagement to promote informed electoral choices.

In his paper presentation, Mr. Kunle Adegoke (SAN) emphasized the crucial role of stakeholders, civil society organizations (CSOs), the media, security agencies, political parties, and INEC, in strengthening Nigeria’s electoral process.

He highlighted the importance of an independent judiciary in upholding electoral laws and ensuring justice in election disputes.

“A compromised judiciary is an albatross to the dispensation of justice,” he warned. “It must be shielded from political interference to maintain public confidence in the system.”

He added that “The judiciary is key to guaranteeing effective mass mobilization and oversight as it is the organ of government that can keep politicians and other political actors in check.”

On the role of security agencies, Adegoke stressed that their duty is to prevent electoral fraud, voter impersonation, ballot stuffing, and other forms of manipulation. However, he noted that security agencies have often failed in this regard and called for urgent reforms to ensure they uphold electoral integrity rather than serve political interests.

The guest speaker, Professor Sylvester Odion Akhaine, a pro-democracy advocate and
Qgovernance expert, in his speech, described godfatherism as a major obstacle to credible elections, stressing that political parties must prioritize internal democracy.

He said, “When a few powerful individuals determine who gets elected, democracy becomes a façade rather than a system that reflects the will of the people,” he stated.

Meanwhile, a communique issued at the end of the conference outlined crucial reforms to enhance Nigeria’s electoral integrity and curb political manipulation

It called for strengthening of political parties, by promoting internal democracy and ensuring transparent candidate selection processes.

The communiqué emphasized that electoral integrity is crucial for democratic consolidation and sustainable governance in Nigeria.

it noted that with the 2027 elections approaching, there was need for the immediate implementation of reforms to restore public confidence in the electoral process.

Among other recommendations, the communique called for enhancing electoral awareness and voter empowerment, reducing the high cost of governance and promoting fiscal accountability. It also for encouraging statesmanship among political actors to address godfatherism.

The communique recomended improving electoral processes and integrity, urging political parties to uphold internal democracy to ensure credible candidate selection, while also calling for institutional frameworks to be strengthened to curb vote buying and electoral fraud.

It said there should be enhanced youth engagement in politics by providing young voters with accurate information to enable informed electoral participation.

The conference had panel session which discussed electoral violence, women inclusion and interagency collaboration. The second panel session discussed strengthening the roles of CSOs, political parties, media and other stakeholders in mobilizing citizens for electoral/Political participation.