By Lateef Ibrahim Abuja
A non governmental organization, adopt-a-Goal for Development Initiative, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to make the 2027 general election Nigeria’s most transparently credible, saying that is greatest tribute that could be paid to the late democracy advocate, Ariyo Dare Atoye.
The group maintained that the fourth anniversary of Atoye’s death should go beyond memorial speeches and become a renewed national commitment to elections Nigerians could genuinely trust.
Atoye, a frontline civil society advocate for electoral reforms, democratic accountability and citizens’ participation, died on Oct. 27, 2022.
In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Kunle Afolabi, Adopt-a-Goal noted that late Atoye devoted much of his public life to strengthening the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process.
According to the group, “The greatest monument Nigeria can build in his honour is not made of concrete or marble.
“It is an electoral system Nigerians can trust,” the organisation said.
The 2027 election, the group reasoned, presents a historic opportunity to transform Atoye’s electoral reform advocacy from remembrance into reality.
Continuing, the group said, “The most fitting tribute to his memory will be a 2027 general election in which every eligible Nigerian can vote freely and every lawful vote counts.
“Technology must work as promised, results must reflect the will of the people and the process must command public confidence,” it said.
The organisation said INEC would ultimately be judged not only by logistics or deployment of technology but by whether Nigerians regarded the process as impartial, transparent and credible.
According to the group, “The 2027 election should become the election in which Nigerians no longer have to debate whether their votes counted or whether technology failed when it mattered most.
“This is the standard Ariyo fought for, and this is the standard Nigeria must now deliver,” it said.
Adopt-a-Goal urged INEC to safeguard the voters’ register, ensure transparent deployment of electoral technology and strengthen the transmission and collation of results.
It also called for professional training of electoral personnel, strict neutrality and early resolution of operational and technological challenges.
The group said political parties and candidates must also reject violence, intimidation and vote-buying and allow Nigerians to exercise their franchise freely.
“No political ambition is worth the blood of a Nigerian.
“Ariyo’s advocacy was fundamentally about ensuring that political power is obtained through the consent of citizens, not through violence, manipulation, intimidation or subversion of institutions,” it said.
The organisation also urged civil society groups, the media, religious and traditional institutions, professional bodies and citizens to defend the integrity of the electoral process.
According to it, the true test of electoral reform begins at polling units and continues through accreditation, voting, counting, collation and final declaration of results.
It said Nigeria must move away from recurring post-election disputes towards a system in which losers could accept defeat because they trusted the process.
The group recalled Atoye as an advocate who believed strongly in peaceful civic mobilisation as a tool for changing public policy and strengthening democracy.
“Four years have passed, but Ariyo’s voice has not disappeared.
“Every demand for transparent elections echoes that voice. Every young Nigerian who insists that his or her vote must count keeps that voice alive,” it said.
Adopt-a-Goal said the 2027 election offers INEC an opportunity to restore public confidence and demonstrate that years of struggle for electoral reform were not in vain.
“Ariyo Dare Atoye does not need another promise from Nigeria. His memory deserves fulfilment.
“If Nigeria wants to honour him, let us give Nigerians an election they can believe in,” the organisation said.
It added that a transparent and credible election would speak louder than any anniversary tribute.
“Let the 2027 general election become a defining moment when Nigeria proves that the ballot can truly be stronger than manipulation, violence, money and political influence.
“That will be Ariyo’s greatest memorial. That will keep his advocacy alive,” the group said.
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