The Electoral Hub, an organ of the Initiative for Research, Innovation and Advocacy in Development (IRIAD), has held a two-day methodology workshop from Friday, 9th July to Saturday, 10th July 2021 at Ibeto Hotels, Abuja.
A statement by Princess Hamman-Obels, Founder and Director, IRIAD- The Electoral Hub said “This workshop was in furtherance of our “Strengthening Electoral Accountability in Nigeria” programme, which is supported by the MacArthur Foundation and aimed at institutionalising accountability and anti-corruption in Nigeria.”
According to her, the methodology workshop was organised to conceptualise and develop a methodology for two research projects under this programme. The first project, entitled “Electoral Accountability in Nigeria”, will examine the extent of accountability within electoral governance duty bearers involved in and responsible for elections, as well as the implications of this for electoral integrity in Nigeria. Professor Okechukwu Ibeanu, one of the editors for this project, explained that there are two sides of accountability:
On the demand side, citizens, transnational agencies, global civil society demand from elected officials through elections to be accountable for the period they were serving. But to be able to do so, certain agencies are charged to ensure the integrity of the electoral process […] can become a viable mechanism for demand-side accountability. [Those agencies] are the ones I talk about as the supply side.
According to the statement, “This project will focus on the level of accountability among agencies that are on the supply side, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the judiciary, security agencies, political parties, development partners, civil society organisations (CSOs), the media, and the National Assembly.
Princess also said the second project, entitled “The Impact of Elections on Democratisation in Nigeria”, will examine the nexus between elections and democratisation, and in particular, the extent to which improved elections affect the quality of representation. According to Professor Mohammad Kuna, who is one of the editors for this project:
“This concern arose from the observation that while previous studies indicate a very good and very close relationship between elections and democratisation, it is in recent times becoming increasingly clear that the conduct of elections in and of themselves do not necessarily lead to democratisation.”
The hypothesis for this research, which can be proved or disproved, the statement said, is that while elections seem to be getting better, progressively poorer representation is the outcome with devastating consequences on the existential conditions of a majority of people. A comparative analysis of four countries in West Africa – Uganda, Chad, Burkina Faso, and Mali – will also be done in this regard.
The workshop had in attendance INEC National Commissioner, Professor Okechukwu Ibeanu; former INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega; INEC Special Adviser, Professor Mohammad Kuna; CDD Senior Fellows, Professors Adele Jinadu and Jibrin Ibrahim; Director of MacArthur Foundation, Dr Kole Shettima; and other distinguished scholars and researchers.
The outputs of the research will be a handbook on Elections and Democratisation, and another book on Electoral Accountability in Nigeria, both of which will contain chapters written by highly experienced and knowledgeable writers.
“Through this research, we hope to strengthen documentation and knowledge production on election, participation, and accountability, which should contribute to the wider aim of institutionalising accountability and anti-corruption in Nigeria”,the statement said.
