Thursday, June 12, 2025 - The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government to deliver the long-promised benefits of democracy to Nigerians.
In a statement signed by Robert Egbe,the Media and Communication Officer,Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) on Wednesday,
to mark the 32nd anniversary of the 1993 elections and 26 years of
uninterrupted civilian rule in Nigeria, CAPPA said many citizens are still
living in poverty and hardship, despite over two decades of democracy.
“Democracy should not only be about elections every four
years. It should mean real change that improves people’s lives, respects their
rights, and gives them hope.”
The group said millions of Nigerians continue to suffer from
lack of basic services like clean water, housing, healthcare, education, and
electricity.
CAPPA also criticised government efforts to privatise these
services, saying it has made them too expensive for ordinary people.
“In 2024, nearly 130 million Nigerians were living in
poverty, and about 13 million more are expected to fall below the poverty line.
This is not acceptable for a country with so many natural and human resources,”
the statement read.
The group warned that government institutions like the
judiciary, legislature, and anti-corruption agencies are under pressure from
politics and are not fully independent.
It also condemned efforts by some state governments to limit
protests and silence free speech using court orders.
“Peaceful protest and free expression are rights guaranteed
in a democracy. No one should be punished for speaking out.”
CAPPA also asked the federal government to drop what it
called “trumped-up terrorism charges” against young people who joined the
#EndBadGovernance protests in August 2024.
Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, CAPPA said
Nigeria must fix problems in its electoral system.
The group called on the National Assembly to complete
constitutional and electoral reforms by 2025 to avoid last-minute changes.
It urged lawmakers to remove the President’s power to
appoint electoral commissioners in order to make the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) more independent and trusted.
CAPPA said the end of the current INEC chairman’s tenure in
November 2025 offers a chance to choose a new leader through an open and fair
process.
“Failure to act now may lead to another election that is
flawed from the beginning,” the group warned.
The group also stressed the need to allow all eligible
voters, including those living abroad, to vote easily and called for clear
rules on how election results should be transmitted electronically to improve
transparency.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and lawmakers must guarantee
conditions that enable eligible voters at home and abroad to cast their ballots
unhindered by logistical or structural failures.
“Ambiguities in result-transmission modalities in the
current electoral act must also be resolved, and real-time electronic
transmission of results upheld to improve transparency and trust in our
elections,” the statement added
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