Chapter

Aiyede Matters Arising from the 2019 Elections and Electoral Reform Processes

March 2021

Project: Elections and Governance

Authors:

Emmanuel Remi Aiyede

University of Ibadan

Interests, ideas and institutions matter in engaging with the sources, nature and support or resistance in electoral reforms that have occurred or considered in the bid to reform the electoral process to meet citizens’ expectations worldwide. Against this backdrop, this paper reviews electoral reform efforts in Nigeria since 2007. It examines the reform proposals, identifies those that were carried out and their consequences. It also examines critical reforms proposals that have been stalled, especially in the build-ups to the 2015 and 2019 elections. It argues that matters arising from the 2019 elections have made certain reforms more urgent for advancing the electoral process, outlining ideas for action. It shows that in Nigeria electoral reforms have been driven by the goal of advancing the integrity of elections, and the need to ensure that voters count in electoral outcomes. Ideas about electoral reforms have revolved around the need to ameliorate the extremely intense competition that manifest in the disregard for rules and electoral violence.

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