UK Envoy: CSOs Critical to Ensuring Free, Fair and Accountable 2027 Polls

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja 

The British ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Richard Montgomery, has charged civil society organisations in Nigeria to strengthen their oversight activities in ensuring that the 2027 general elections are credible and accountable.

The envoy who spoke at the June 12 Democracy Day Dialogue and Photo Exhibition with the theme, ‘June 12 from Symbolism to Systems Change: The Role of Civil Society in Sustaining Nigeria’s Democracy’ organised by the Civil Society Situation Room in Abuja yesterday, said that a lot of confidence-building measures are needed for citizens to trust the election outcome.

While praising the contributions and sacrifices made by civil society organisations, including risks to personal safety in the last 27 years, the envoy underscored the significance of the upcoming election in 2027 and the need to ensure public confidence in the leadership of the country.

“So, I’m here today to encourage your advocacy. I’m here to encourage your oversight, as to, and your ability to amplify citizens’ terms and voice and to help ensure that the future elections and particularly for the next general elections, the national, state elections on the 16th of January.

“We strongly believe that you people in the room, your organisations, the civil society monitoring rooms have key roles to play to hold the election process to account and to make it as inclusive as possible.

“We see you as very key to helping more Nigerian citizens find a voice to protecting human rights of many who are not lawyers and have a legal perspective,” he said.

The ambassador sued for meaningful participation of women, that of younger people and those with special needs, people with disabilities and other marginalised groups.

According to him, it is this level of inclusiveness of the process that determines whether citizens will trust or doubt electoral outcomes.

Co-founder of one of the foremost Civil Society organisations- the Civil Liberties Organisation and the Executive Director of Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), Mr. Clement Nwankwo, said that it would seem that years of struggle for democratic rule in Nigeria has been a wasted effort but for a few milestones including peaceful transition of power so far recorded.

He lamented that recent attempts at institution capture have eroded the country’s democracy, foisting tribalism and corruption on the system.

On his part the Co-Convener of the Civil Society Coalition – Situation Room, Mr. YZ Ya’u, recounted the efforts of CSOs and civil rights movements to successfully push out the military government in Nigeria.

Also, two other key players in the pro-democracy struggle, Ms. Ene-Obi and Mma Odi, narrated the harrowing experiences of forebears of the democracy struggle including arrests, detention and sometimes deaths.

Odi noted that the difference between those who participated in the struggle for democracy during the military era in the nineties and now is that they were more determined, united and focused.

The dialogue session saw many civil society and pro-democracy activists sharing their views and experiences regarding the struggle for democratic governance in Nigeria.