By Edward Nnachi,
Ebonyi State,Southeast-Nigeria
As the 2027 general elections draw nearer, concern has continued to mount over the role civil society organizations (CSOs) play to ensure free and polls and mobilize citizens for electoral participation.
Therefore, critical stakeholders are of the view that to effectively measure or maintain accountability and progress towards the goals of an electoral process, adequate research, planning and implementations must become basic for a successful election and post elections transitions.
In a recent workshop held in Lagos relevant stakeholders including Women’s Consortium of Nigeria (WOCON) and the African Youths Initiative on Crime Prevention (AYICRIP) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the critical role of CSOs was in elections was brought to the front burner.
The workshop, with the themed: “The roles of CSOs in the mobilization of citizens for electoral participation, was aimed at building collaboration to sensitize the public especially marginalized groups on their civic rights and responsibilities and hence positively steer them to optimize their participation as citizens in the political sphere.
At the event, stakeholders arose in one and strong voice that civil society organizations and institutions play critical role for safeguarding openness and transparency of elections, promoting engagement of disadvantaged groups in electoral process, and increasing electoral awareness to ensure participation of well-informed voters in elections.
This is because CSOs act as vital watchdogs in Nigeria’s democracy. They promote transparency, educate voters, and independently monitor the electoral process. Prominent coalitions like the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room and YIAGA Africa work alongside bodies like the INEC to safeguard the credibility of polls.
Nigerian lawyers and civic space leaders have also viewed civil society organizations (CSOs) as vital watchdogs for electoral integrity, voter education, and institutional accountability. However, legal practitioners warn that declining public trust in the judiciary and restrictive legislative frameworks pose mounting threats to democratic governance ahead of the 2027 general elections. They express deep concern over proposed repressive bills, arbitrary arrests, and the intimidation of civil society actors and journalists; and have also actively picked holes in current legal frameworks, arguing that ambiguous statutory provisions leave critical gaps exploitable by political manipulators.
A senior lawyer and the President of the National Association of Catholic Lawyers, Dr. Obinna Ogbuagu, told this writer that lawyers could no longer remain silent in the face of challenges threatening justice and democratic governance.
He said the legal profession must continue to serve as the moral compass of society by defending integrity, social justice and the rule of law.
Also, the Executive Director of YIAGA Africa, Samson Itodo, accused political actors of exploiting the judiciary to weaken electoral democracy.
He alleged that judicial discretion had at times been abused to undermine the electoral process, adding that some individuals who did not participate in party primaries had emerged as lawmakers through legal processes.
This is as the Executive Director of the Nigeria Network of NGOs (NNNGOs), Oyebisi Babatunde Oluseyi, stressed that Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are critical watchdogs for transparency, democratic accountability, and civic participation during elections. CSOs bridge the gap between citizens and electoral systems by promoting good governance.
Corroborating, the International Center for Not–for-Profit Law (ICNL) has highlighted that civil society organizations play a critical, foundational role in electoral processes by driving transparency, voter education, and independent observation, though they increasingly face severe legal, financial, and operational restrictions during election periods.
According to the ICNL, the CSOs play this role through voter education and mobilization, election monitoring, advocacy and reform, and combat disinformation.
Edward Nnachi,
An Investigative and Development Journalist @ PUNCH Newspapers,
Writes from Southeast–Nigeria
nnachieddyugbor@gmail.com
08028535702