Despite a decade of electoral reforms and technological upgrades, the 2025 by-elections have shown no significant improvement over past polls, says Bukola Idowu, Executive Director of the Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI).
Speaking on Political Paradigm, a Channels Television programme, Idowu described last Saturday’s by-elections as a repeat of long-standing electoral failures, citing reports from both local and international observer groups.
“From what we observed across key states, there’s no marked difference between the irregularities in 2015 and what happened in 2025,” he said.
“We’re still seeing voter suppression, electoral violence, and issues with result transparency.”
Idowu singled out Kogi as a flashpoint of violence, while also referencing disturbances in Anambra, Ogun, Enugu, Kaduna, and Kano.
He criticised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for not fully uploading results to the IReV portal, despite having nearly a year to prepare following the postponement of the polls.
“INEC cannot continue to hide behind excuses like funding shortfalls. The delay should have provided ample time to get logistics right,” he stressed.
He also questioned INEC’s continued partnership with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) for election logistics, citing allegations of partisanship.
He called for private sector logistics providers to replace the union in future elections.
On voter turnout, Idowu noted a steady decline driven by waning public trust in the electoral system.
“The process has become increasingly transactional. Voters no longer believe their ballots matter,” he observed.
He added that international development partners who support Nigeria’s democratic process have grown disillusioned, with minimal progress despite significant investments.
Saturday’s by-elections were held in 16 constituencies across 12 states to fill legislative vacancies caused by resignations and deaths.
The elections included races for Senate, House of Representatives and State Assembly seats.
