The West African Democracy Solidarity Network (WADEMOS) wishes all Nigerians a smooth and peaceful election as the country goes to the polls on February 25, 2023 to elect a new President and members of the Federal Chamber of the Assembly (the National Assembly), and on March 11, 2023, to elect governors and representatives of the State Legislative Assembly.
The WADEMOS Network also extends its best wishes to all contestants involved in the national and subnational elections, which will be the seventh consecutive election since the country’s return to multiparty democracy in 1999.
As a Network, we recognize the guarantees of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies on their readiness to monitor peaceful, fair and credible general elections. WADEMOS urges Nigerians to turn out in numbers on election days to exercise their right to vote and their civic responsibility. We also call on INEC, political parties and all interested parties to respect the framework, rules and regulations governing elections and to resort to the appropriate legal processes and institutional mechanisms to address their complaints.
“We encourage citizens and political parties to avoid inflammatory language and hate speech, which could trigger violence during elections. INEC and civil society organizations (CSOs) must also improve their communication protocols and structures to provide timely information to counter fake news and disinformation during and after the elections,” remarked Kojo Pumpuni Asante, head of the mission. of electoral observation of WADEMOS.
The WADEMOS Network commends the efforts of civil society, in particular our Nigerian member organizations (CDD-West Africa, YIAGA Africa, Women in Politics Forum and Transitional Monitoring Group), who have deployed a number of innovative observation platforms to monitor the credibility and conduct of elections
The Network deeply regrets and unreservedly condemns the death of Senator candidate Oyibo Chukwu and the other five Labor Party supporters in Enugu State. We urge security agencies to demonstrate their ability to respond to such attacks and arrest the perpetrators in order to deter all unscrupulous elements seeking to perpetrate acts of violence during this election.
Being an integral part of maintaining political and economic stability in West Africa, WADEMOS recognizes the importance of this election as a pacesetter for the upcoming presidential elections in the sub-region this year. Considering the unfavorable political environment facing the region, the Nigerian elections should rekindle hope for democracy in the sub-region.
About WADEMOS
The West African Democracy Solidarity Network (“WADEMOS”) is an independent, non-partisan civil society led transnational democratic solidarity network consisting of more than thirty-five (35) civil society organizations located in 15 West African countries. The purpose of the WADEMOS Network is to mobilize, coordinate and harness the collective power of civil society and other pro-democracy actors, resources and opportunities within the West African Region to advance, defend and revitalize democracy and promote norms and democratic reforms. in the subregion.