Ahead of the 2027 general elections, electoral experts, security stakeholders and media executives have called for sustained collaboration, institutional strengthening and greater accountability among political actors to help rebuild public confidence and promote peaceful, credible and transparent elections in Nigeria.
The appeal was made at a public discourse on “Strengthening Democratic Institutions for Credible Elections in Nigeria: 2027 and Beyond,” hosted by the Alumni Association of the National Institute (AANI), Ondo/Ekiti States Chapter.
The panel, which featured INEC National Commissioner, Mallam Mohammed Haruna; International Press Centre (IPC) Executive Director, Mr. Lanre Arogundade; Assistant Director General of DSS, Mrs. Olufunke Amos; and Ekiti State University political scientist, Dr. Mike Omilusi, issued key directives to acknowledge and rebuild public trust.
The INEC National Commissioner, Mallam Mohammed Haruna, acknowledged a notable decline in public confidence following the 2023 polls, while highlighting logistics milestones, including online voter registration and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
He stressed that INEC is committed to intensifying grassroots engagements with traditional institutions to accelerate Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection and mitigate local thuggery.
Speaking on enforcing party accountability and halting youth exploitation, Arogundade of the IPC directly challenged political parties to uphold internal democracy, respect signed peace accords, and actively dismantle vote-buying networks that exploit domestic poverty.
He maintained that leadership across party lines must cease utilising unemployed youth as instruments for electoral violence and transition toward meaningful inclusion.
Mrs. Olufunke Amos, Assistant Director General of DSS, in her own submission on mandate to inter-agency security cooperation, said the national security structure received a direct charge to move away from counter-productive inter-agency competition.
Amos demanded institutionalised intelligence-sharing, comprehensive human rights and electoral training for field operatives, and strict statutory penalties for misconduct before, during, and after election cycles.
The keynote speaker, Dr. Mike Omilusi, while prioritising radical result transparency, stated that successful 2027 polls require deep structural adjustments far beyond timetable manipulation.
He urged political parties to maintain absolute vigilance by deploying trained, independent agents to capture and secure raw results from every polling unit nationwide.
Supporting these steps, Ondo State Deputy Governor, Dr. Olayide Adelami, who is the chapter’s patron, noted that continuous system improvements remain non-negotiable for the country’s democratic survival.
The forum called for a structured, synchronised alliance between INEC, the judiciary, security forces, civil society, and the Nigerian electorate to ensure that the actual will of voters is accurately reflected in future outcomes.
Welcoming participants, the Chairman of the association, Ondo/Ekiti Chapter, Dr. Akinjide Akinleye, mni, emphasised that the engagement is strictly non-partisan.
He stressed that the objective is not to promote any political party or individual, but to advance peaceful, credible, inclusive and transparent elections that strengthen democracy and safeguard national unity.
He assured that the gathering would go far beyond identifying challenges to developing actionable recommendations, with the responsibility beyond discussing credible elections, but to contribute meaningfully to the institutional reforms and practices that make them possible.
“Additionally, it is our desire that this discourse would be remembered not only for the quality of our presentations, but for its practical contributions to Nigeria’s democratic future.”
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