A member of the Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room, Austin Anigbe, has said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) can deliver a better 2027 general election but must address the pitfalls recorded during the 2023 elections.

Anigbe made the submission on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, while reacting to INEC’s world press conference and stakeholders’ meeting on preparations for the 2027 elections.

According to him, INEC has taken note of the various activities leading to the 2027 elections and is making significant progress in its preparations.

SEE MORE: 2027: INEC Tackles Operational Gaps, Sets October 9 For PVC Collection

“From the press statement, from the conversation, I will tell you it is certain that INEC has put out what I call a D-minus plan. INEC has taken note of every event going to the 2027 elections, and INEC is on top of its game,” Anigbe said.

He, however, noted that similar assurances had been given by INEC in previous election cycles.

“But is this kind of thing new? No. We’ve had this kind of assurances in previous times,” he said.

Anigbe said what made the latest development significant was that INEC held a world press conference about 100 days before the election.

“But this is the first time there would be a press conference, a world press conference, 100 days to election that they round on election,” he said.

He said INEC had already achieved almost half of its milestone objectives, describing this as critical to the preparations for the 2027 election.

Anigbe also urged Nigerians to take advantage of the planned display of the voter register to verify their polling units ahead of election day.

“For instance, today is the seventh of October. In two days will be ninth of October, and INEC has said by the ninth of October there will be a display of the voter register at the polling unit level, or the ward level, sorry,” he said.

“So that citizens ought to go to those places now to go verify their polling unit and not get to the day of election, which is always constant with citizens by the time they get to the polling unit, their names are not there, and they start rushing that INEC is not prepared.”

He further urged eligible Nigerians without Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to take advantage of the collection exercise.

“INEC has also said by the same ninth there will be PVC collection, not distribution. So citizens should prepare. If you are ready to vote in the 2027 election, you don’t have your PVC, the time is now,” Anigbe said.

Commenting on states with the highest number of registered voters, Anigbe said the figures for Lagos and Kano were not surprising, noting that Lagos had consistently topped the list.

“For the state that topped the registration, this is not new. Lagos has always topped, followed by Kano,” he said.

However, he questioned whether the large number of registered voters would translate into actual participation on election day.
“But what I think is important: can the people in Lagos, Kano, etc. truly vote on election day?” he asked.

Anigbe said the number of registered voters should be considered alongside actual voter turnout, particularly in light of the 2023 elections.

“If Lagos is with the highest number of vote, and the vote that came out in the 2023 election compared to the number of registered voters, you would, I mean, there were a lot of voter suppression,” he said.

He also highlighted the gap between Nigeria’s large voter register and actual participation.

“Beyond just turning out these numbers that we have 103 million registered voters leading democracy numbers in Africa, we are the largest democracy, the largest number of registered voters in an election,” Anigbe said.

“It is that the number must show on the day of ballot, true we don’t have about 25 percent of voters in an election, which is very weird.”

He estimated that about 25 million Nigerians voted in the 2023 elections.
“About 25 million Nigerians voted in the 2023 elections,” he said.

Anigbe maintained that the timing of INEC’s preparations gives the commission an opportunity to improve the electoral process.

“We think that this timing, 100 days to election, gives INEC adequate preparation. And I think INEC can,” he said.

However, he stressed that INEC must learn from the previous election.

“But they have to address the pitfalls of the 2023 election, which is the question I asked. And INEC, rather than focus on the question, focused on something else,” Anigbe said.

The presidential candidate of the National Rescue Movement (NRM), Esther Okereke, has backed the death penalty as a punishment for corruption if elected president in the 2027 election.

Okereke made the statement during an interview on AIT’s Democracy Today while outlining her approach to tackling corruption in Nigeria.

She said Nigeria could adopt the Chinese system of fighting corruption, arguing that severe punishment would deter people from engaging in corrupt practices.

SEE ALSO:Former APGA Leader, Edozie Njoku Appointed NRM Chairman

Asked whether she would push for death sentence as a penalty for corruption, Okereke said anyone who continued to engage in corruption would have to face the consequences.

“So why would you want to do that when you already know the penalty?” she said.

“Would you want to continue corruption? If you want to continue corruption, then fine, continue. The sentence is waiting for you, the penalty is waiting for you.”

Okereke also said the fight against corruption should begin with state governors, arguing that the government knows where public funds are being controlled.

“That means you know where to start fighting the corruption from—the governors. It’s as simple as that. You start from the head,” she said.

She rejected claims that state funds should be regarded as the personal resources of those controlling them, insisting that public money belongs to the people.

“No, it is not your money, it is the people’s money. The people own it, use it for them,” Okereke said.

According to her, basic amenities provided with public funds should be regarded as citizens’ rights rather than acts of charity.

“These basic amenities that we’re talking about, it’s not charity—it is their right. It is the citizens’ right,” she said.

Okereke said effective action against corruption would, however, require reforms to the system itself.

“But first of all, before you fight corruption, make it right,” she added.

Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Udeh, has said President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms have put Nigeria on a path towards development despite persistent inflation and hardship.

Udeh made the statement while discussing the 2027 presidential contest and the argument being advanced by supporters of the Tinubu administration.

According to the minister, the full impact of the reforms has not yet been realised, but he argued that Nigeria’s economic performance has improved compared with 2023 and 2024.

ALSO READ: Tinubu Gov’t Does Not Engage, Everybody Is Its Enemy — Ajaero

“It is not yet fully realised, but you can even tell that we are no longer as bad as we were in 2023–2024,” Udeh said.

He acknowledged that Nigerians were still dealing with inflation and economic hardship but maintained that the country had been placed on a development path.

“We know that there’s inflation. We know that there’s still hardship. But we also know that Nigeria has been put on track for development, to come out from economic hardship,” he said.

Udeh also argued that state governments now have more resources to pursue development, pointing to projects in Enugu State as an example.

“Go to Enugu State, you’ll see massive transformation,” he said, citing developments in infrastructure and transportation.

The minister further said Nigeria’s economic growth had improved from about two per cent in 2023 to around four per cent, while arguing that the increased resources available to sub-national governments could create opportunities to improve the lives of citizens.

His comments came during a wider discussion on the 2027 presidency. Udeh, who is from the South East, said he would want the presidency to go to the region at the appropriate time but stressed that presidential elections require engagement across Nigeria’s various regions.