A civil society organisation (NGO), Civil Society Legislative and Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), has called for electoral and political party reforms to restore public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic processes.
Executive Director of CISLAC, Auwal Rafsanjani, stated this in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja, in commemoration of this year’s Democracy Day.
Rafsanjani also stressed the need for political leaders to change their orientations to safeguard the country’s democratic rule.
He decried what he called unaccountable leadership, weak institutions and exclusion of citizens from decision-making in the country.
According to him, elections have become mere exercises for many citizens, marked by violence, voter suppression, vote buying and judicial interference in electoral outcomes.
“There is widespread voter apathy and growing distrust in the electoral system. Political parties lack ideology and discipline, functioning merely as platforms for elite bargains and transactional personal gains,” he said.
While acknowledging the anti-corruption efforts at the federal level, he, however, expressed concern about what he called pervasive and largely unchecked corruption at the state level.
“Many state governors operate without transparency, supported by compromised state assemblies and an almost total lack of oversight.
“We must decentralise anti-corruption efforts and empower state-level institutions to function independently,” he said.
Rafsanjani noted that judiciary was also under pressure, as delays in access to justice, conflicting court judgments and perceived political interference continued to undermine the rule of law.
“A functional democracy depends on an impartial and independent judiciary. But what we see today in Nigeria is a system under pressure from political actors, lacking financial autonomy and rapidly losing public confidence,” he stated.
He called for a comprehensive judicial reform to ensure timely, impartial justice and uphold the supremacy of the rule of law.
He urged the Federal Government to adopt a people-centred security approach that would prioritise civilian protection and address long-standing causes of conflicts.
“Democracy is more than elections. It must demonstrate good governance, strong institutions, protection of rights and active civic participation,” the executive director said.