By Edward Nnachi,
Ebonyi State,Southeast-Nigeria
Recent reports have suggested that electoral integrity and accountability were lacking in the electioneering process of the Southeastern region, which comprises Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi and Imo states.
And opinions from different stakeholders reveal that electoral integrity and accountability in Southeast Nigeria require free, fair processes, transparent vote counting, and active citizen oversight across the entire democratic cycle. Achieving credible elections depends on strong institutions, ethical leadership, and verifiable results that reflect the true will of the voters.
And to achieve this, there must be transparent processes aimed at ensuring open voter registration, secure collection, and accurate tallying of ballots without interference; there should be institutional independence to shield electoral bodies and security agencies from partisan control or political pressure; and also there should be technological safeguards that will utilize accredited electronic accreditation and reporting tools to minimize human error and fraud across the five states of the Southeast region of Nigeria.
Therefore, findings by this further disclosed that mechanisms to track electoral integrity and accountability in the region are continuous monitoring to track institutional performance and reform milestones before, during, and after voting days; civic engagement to empower community groups, observers, and voters to question leaders and report irregularities; and legal enforcement to apply strict, impartial penalties for electoral offenses, such as vote-buying or intimidation, to deter future misconduct.
Consequently, as Nigeria heads towards another electioneering epoch come 2027 concerns over vote-buying, inducement, intimidation and other electoral malpractices have continued to build in the Southeast zone with political pundits calling for the overall overhaul of the system.
Speaking to our Correspondent recently in Enugu, the Chairman of the Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network (CRRAN), Barr. Olu Omotayo said there was the need for a stronger synergy among relevant stakeholders to strengthen the electoral process in the region ahead of the next election circle.
According to him, “Electoral reform that makes results genuinely verifiable — and makes INEC’s independence structurally real rather than ceremonially proclaimed — is not optional.
“It is the precondition for any legitimate mandate. Civil society and the press must resist the temptation to moralise apathy and instead diagnose it — not as a symptom of bad citizens but as the fever of a sick civic body.”
“But courage alone cannot repair institutional betrayal. Institutions must repair themselves or be repaired. And that work cannot wait for another inauguration speech,” he added.
Most importantly, 77 per cent of Nigerians — according to YIAGA Africa’s December 2025 national survey — still say they intend to vote in 2027, even as only 45 per cent trust INEC to conduct a credible election.
“That tension between aspiration and scepticism represents something fragile and extraordinary: residual civic faith in a system that has not earned it. That faith is not naive. It is, in a country with Nigeria’s history, something close to courage,” the CRRAN boss continued.
Also, a coalition of civil society organisations has raised the alarm over new features introduced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the management and transmission of election results, warning that they could undermine transparency and public confidence in the electoral process.
In a common position signed by 14 civil society organisations, the coalition said the 2026 Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections require polling officials to input result scores into the electronic EC8A on the BVAS but failed to clearly state where the data would be transmitted or what purpose it would serve.
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the electoral umpire has said it was poised to ensure the process was both free and transparent. Speaking at a recent event in Abakaliki, capital of Ebonyi State, the Assistant Director of Voter Education and Planning at INEC, Magdalyn Aku, vowed that the process will be free, fair, transparent and accountable.
She said, “For INEC, making your vote count is not just a slogan; it is the bedrock of our democracy, and we always try to ensure that we put in the right processes, the right tools to ensure that every individual’s vote counts.”
Edward Nnachi,
An Investigative and Development Journalist @ PUNCH Newspapers,
Writes from Southeast -Nigeria
nnachieddyugbor@gmail.com
08028535702