Victoria Mgbanwa
Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) has called for more representation of women in political office in Nigeria.
The Executive Director of Kimpact Development Initiative, Mr Bukola Idowu
stated this at the public presentation of the post 2023 General Election Dispute Resolution Monitoring Report in Abuja.
He further called on political associations to give women the necessary financial support to run for political office.
“Some women do not have the financial capacity to organize campaign during electioneering process. When women are cheated during electoral process, they do not have the capacity to seek for redress in court”.
According to the Executive Director, since March 2023, KDI, with the support of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) has been monitoring the process of dispute resolution arising from the 2023 general election, throughout the 36 states, including the Federal Capital Territory.
The extensive monitoring program observed, examined, and collated data on Election Dispute Resolution in the 36 states.
He further added that electoral court should be made to address some of the anomalies during elections.
In the same vein, KDI urged INEC to improve Electoral Administration to reduce Petitions.
“There is a need to improve the electoral process and clearly articulate some of the electoral laws conflicting clauses to reduce the number of petitions filed. We need to recognize the correlation between perceived poor election administration and increased petition filings. The number of petitions filed against the 2023 general election increased to 1209 from 811 in 2019”,he said.
The Executive Director further added that data also shows that the highest ground on why aggrieved parties approach the court borders on non-compliance with the legal framework and corrupt practices.
“Many people believe that the election administration did not follow the required standards. Considering the attractiveness
of elective political offices, it is recommended to de-incentivize the positions. The perks and privileges associated with such offices often motivate politicians to pursue election petitions even with minimal chances of success.
De-incentivizing elective political office aims to reduce the instrumentation of the electoral dispute resolution process for personal gains”,he said.
The report further highlighted that CSOs and Academic should Explore the Regional Disparities in Acceptance of Election Results to see lessons that can be learnt,
“ Given the observed trend of northern states more readily accepting governorship election results, it is recommended that comprehensive research be conducted to explore the influence of cultural and religious factors. The findings can inform programmatic interventions by Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to shape perceptions and acceptance of election results. This particularly can be used in violence prevention efforts.”
He further urged the media to undergo specialized training on election petition tribunal reporting to ensure accurate and informed coverage.
