Election: Alliance for Deepening Democracy Launched

A group of civil society organisations (CSOs) has launched the Alliance for Deepening Democracy (A4DD) – a coalition to monitor the progress of Nigeria’s 2023 elections.

Development Diaries reports that A4DD is a coalition of organisations from various sectors working collaboratively to engage critical aspects, stages and actors in the 2023 general election.

Member organisations include Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), Journalism and Development Seminars (JADES), and Proactive Gender Initiatives.

Others are Raising New Voices, Partners West Africa Nigeria (PWAN), Alliance for Credible Elections (ACE-Nigeria), Young Professionals in Policy and Development (YouPaD), Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), The Electoral Hub, and Women in Politics Forum (WIPF).

The aim of the coalition is to ensure that the outcome of the elections reflects the will of the people and contributes to the consolidation of democracy in Nigeria.

The coalition, in a statement to this news platform, said it intends to complement the work and activities of other coalitions and organisations engaging in the electoral process.

‘We do not want to wait until election day to find out that the preparations for the elections were poor or inadequate and that the outcome cannot be trusted’, the statement signed by Chairman of the group’s Steering Committee and Executive Director of MRA, Edetaen Ojo, read.

‘So we will engage and scrutinise all critical stages of the process and the preparatory activities of the main agencies involved in the conduct of the elections, particularly the Independent National Electoral Commission, before the elections, on election days and in the immediate post-election period’.

A4DD, it is understood, will engage with INEC or other relevant actors in the process to advocate for necessary adjustments in plans or preparations as well as appropriate frameworks to ensure credible polls.

In assessing the plans and preparations for the elections, A4DD said it will cover things like the printing of election materials which include ballot papers, result sheets and so on.

Photo source: Commonwealth Secretariat

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