JUNE 12: CAPPA TASKS FG ON DEMOCRACY DIVIDENDS

The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa has asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to deliver the long-promised fruits of democracy to Nigerians, decrying deepening frustration among citizens, who, despite decades of democratic rule, continue to battle grinding poverty, chronic insecurity, and bad governance. In a statement marking both the 32nd commemoration of the June 12, 1993, election and the 26th anniversary of uninterrupted civilian rule in Nigeria, CAPPA noted that despite quadrennial elections since 1999 and some incremental gains, the country has yet to translate its ballot exercises into “real progress that lifts citizens out of destitution, enshrines their rights and choices, and sparks hope. “ Instead, the organisation argued that public institutions have “fumbled on stewardship of collective resources and left basic services in tatters, consequently widening the trust gap between government and the governed.” “Social and economic poverty has become pervasive,” the statement observed. “If anything, the surge of youth-led protests across the country in recent times, especially against bad governance, reflects just how much, Nigerians are teetering on the brink of survival.” It added that essential services such as public water, shelter, education, health care, and electricity remain inaccessible to many, even as ill-conceived privatisation drives have impacted costs beyond the reach of ordinary citizens. “In 2024, nearly 130 million Nigerians lived below the poverty line, and another 13 million are reportedly set to join them amid today’s cost-of-living shock,” said Akinbode Oluwafemi, CAPPA’s Executive Director. “Our national circumstances are an outrage for a country blessed with abundant mineral resources, fertile land, and human talent.” CAPPA also warned that Nigeria’s key institutions and basic freedoms are under siege. It said that the country’s anti-corruption agencies, legislature, and even the judiciary continue to wobble under political pressure, with their independence compromised by back-room appointments and political interferences. Furthermore, CAPPA condemned what it described as the “increasing actions of state governments to use court orders to gag free speech and force peaceful protests into designated centres.” It dubbed the trend as an unsettling tactic and aberration that Lagos and Ogun States, and even the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, have latched on to in recent times. The organisation insisted that activists, journalists, students, unionists, and citizens alike must enjoy unfettered freedom of expression, warning that any violence against them for exercising their constitutional rights constitutes a flagrant assault on democracy. It demanded the withdrawal of “trumped-up terrorism charges” against young Nigerians arrested during the August 2024 #EndBadGovernance protests, and urged the restoration of “open, meaningful spaces for civic engagement,” stressing that democracy is “the lived right to speak, assemble, and hold power to account every single day.” Looking ahead to the 2027 elections, CAPPA warned that Nigeria’s electoral environment remains plagued by partisan meddling. It welcomed proposals before the National Assembly to amend the 1999 Constitution or the Electoral Act 2022 to ensure a fair electoral process come 2027, calling them “vital opportunities” for lawmakers, the Presidency, and all lovers of democracy to insulate INEC from political capture and empower genuine citizen participation. CAPPA drummed support for enhancing INEC’s autonomy and backed demands to remove the Presidency’s power to appoint electoral commissioners, noting that this safeguard is essential to protect the Commission from political manipulation. It added that the impending end of the current INEC leadership’s tenure in November 2025 offers a window for selecting a successor through an open, merit-based democratic process, free of partisan strings. “Failure to act risks electoral cycles rigged from the outset,” the statement warned. On this basis, it urged the National Assembly to conclude its constitutional and electoral reform deliberations in 2025 to avoid a last-minute rush. CAPPA also appealed to lawmakers to ensure that final reforms institutionalise public accountability and participatory governance. “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 bolster transparency and trust in our elections,” the CAPPA statement concluded. Signed: Robert Egbe Media and Communication Officer, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA)