Supporting the Electoral Reform Movement in Nigeria

Researchers in NIgeria hosted a discussion with civil society leaders on how to mobilise for electoral reform. Here, an actor enters the crowd as part of a theatrical performance on proportional representation.

Amid unprecedented public scrutiny, Nigeria's House of Representatives is considering a possible electoral reform that some say could deliver the country's first free and fair vote since the end of military rule a decade ago. The measures under consideration are simple yet potentially revolutionary, such as a law to make electoral fraud a criminal offence, rather than merely an issue for civil litigation.

The disputed vote in Nigeria two years ago that brought President Umaru Yar'Adua to power was the catalyst for the current debate. At stake is the soul of the National Electoral Commission, the country's top watchdog for elections.

As civil society actors unite to weigh in on the debate, the Citizenship DRC’s partners in Nigeria have been informing the movement at every level with lessons from their research into the state of citizenship in Nigeria.

A Citizenship DRC researcher, Jibrin Ibrahim, was one of only four members of civil society invited by the president to join an Electoral Reform Committee to submit recommendations to the executive. Now that the committee has completed its work, civil society organisations are focusing their advocacy efforts on the joint congressional commission that is considering the reform.

In May, the Citizenship DRC’s partner in Nigeria, Ahmadu Bello University’s Theatre for Development Centre, invited dozens of civil society leaders from across the country to draft a memo that will be submitted to the joint commission. Insights from the Citizenship DRC’s research into how Nigerians conceive of their citizenship feature prominently in the draft memo, which will be submitted later this year.

Meanwhile, the Theatre for Development Centre has worked with local organisations, including through the use of public theatre, to promote a campaign of “mandate protection.” The message is getting out to the citizenry that they should closely monitor elections to ensure that their vote is counted.

"We ultimately want to let the political elite to know that they don't have any alternative but to implement the will of the people," said John Odah, General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress, the national umbrella group for Nigeria's trade unions, boasting 4 million members.

Related Resources

Geographies of citizenship in Nigeria

Nigeria: in search of citizens?