Remark of the Chairman, Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani) at the Public Launch of the Report of the 2023 Election Cycles.
Date: 11th June 2025
Venue: CISLAC Conference Hall, Abuja
Members of the Diplomatic Community,
International Development Partners,
Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government,
Civil Society Partners
Gentlemen of the Press
Ladies and Gentlemen.
The Transition Monitoring Group emerged in 1999 from the ideas of activists and civil society organizations clamoring for the transition from military to civil rule in Nigeria. As the transition plans began to take shape, TMG emerged as the foremost coalition of CSOs with a mandate of observing and advancing a successful transition as well as expanding civic space for good governance in Nigeria. Since then, TMG has remained active, contributing its quota to Nigeria’s democratic journey with expanding membership across the length and breadth of the country.
Through this democratic journey, Nigeria’s electoral process has witnessed continuous reforms aimed at entrenching free, fair, credible and peaceful elections with the hope that this would bring about good governance and propel the country to reach the desired level of economic and social development. Incredible innovations such as the card readers, BVAS and IReV aimed to improve the transparency and credibility of the process, while legal reforms such as the electoral act amendment looked to block loopholes and strengthen the governance of elections in Nigeria.
The 2023 election cycle is particularly interesting as it represents the election which was supposed to manifest the outcomes of the introductions of BVAS and IReV, as well as legal reforms of the electoral process in Nigeria. Simply put, the 2023 General Election was supposed to become the benchmark for measuring election transparency and credibility. However, it left most Nigerians questioning the way forward for the democratization of the country.
Imperatively, TMG in its tradition engaged alongside other partners in building towards the reforms. Most of the engagements which happened without funding support endeared and attracted support from USAID under the Strengthening Civic Advocacy and Local Engagement (SCALE) project. This support enabled TMG to further expand its scope of coverage of the 2023 elections across the 774 local government areas of Nigeria. This wide coverage allowed TMG to see from north to south and east to west, the general conducts of the election including the performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, political parties and the electorates in shaping the 2023 general election in the country.
TMG was further positioned to engage its entire structure and membership to carryout voters’ sensitization activities including seminars and rallies aimed at mobilizing citizens to participate actively in the election and creating awareness on new provisions and rights of citizens as provided under the new electoral act.
While many may ask why TMG is only launching its report midway into the administration that the 2023 election produced, it is critical to understand that political happenings are beginning to show that credible elections in Nigeria would require much more than voter mobilization, election observation and reporting and even reform of INEC. The inherent lessons from 2023 should not be quickly forgotten. Rather, it should serve as reminders to the changes that need to happen to ensure the upcoming 2027 election is better.
As politicians begin to align and realign their loyalties, as they begin to cross carpet from all political parties to one political party, thereby, gradually instituting a one-party system, the credibility of the 2027 election is already at stake. The ideals of fair competition that defines democracy is already threatened and the rights of electorate to choose the best from many as enshrined in a multi-party democracy as Nigeria is being dismantled with the daily weakening of oppositions. Serious questions are glaring Nigerians in the eyes. Would the 2027 template be different from 2023? What are the lessons from 2023 that must be used to address 2027?
This report which TMG looks to launch today; Telescoping Nigeria’s Elections: 2023 Election Cycle in Perspective looks beyond the conduct of the 2023 general election and throws its light on the judicial process that finally determined the various outcomes of the election. More than ever, the judiciary became an integral part of the elections with its own credibility coming under severe scrutiny. Questions also emerged as to whether elections should be decided at the polls by the votes of citizens or by the technicalities of court cases.
As the judiciary suffered reputational damages, so did INEC, if not worse. Off-cycle elections in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo states immediately confronted the new administration and INEC with the opportunity to show Nigerians if the nation was ready to organise free, fair and credible elections. This report is a reminder to us as stakeholders whether those off-cycle elections were any better than the general election or worse off.
Ladies and gentlemen, this report highlights the importance of stakeholder’s engagements. For organisations like TMG and other sister coalitions and organisations on democracy, the importance of stretching the engagements for citizens involvements as watchdogs cannot be overemphasized. The need for citizens to appreciate poor elections as the basis for poor governance must take the top burner to resist attempts of political actors to hijack the process for their personal aggrandizements.
As politicians strategize to undermine the process, stakeholders must strategize to make the independent choices of citizens the key deciding factor in our elections. International Development Partners must rollout their support to ensure viable institutions and organisations with far reaching capacity are supported to expand their engagements ahead of the 2027 election.
As we launch this report today, we hope that the recommendations serve as pointers to critical changes that are needed to improve the state of elections in Nigeria. For all the commitments of citizens, budgetary provisions, development partners and supports of foreign governments to make our elections better, efforts must be properly channelled to bring about free, fair and credible elections in 2027.
On behalf of the Board and Secretariat of TMG, I welcome you all to the launch of the report: 2023 Election Cycle in Perspective.
Thank you
Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani)
Chairman, TMG
