The Movement for Credible Elections (MCE) has endorsed what it described as the “popular demand by Nigerians for critical and mandatory electoral and political reforms” ahead of the 2027 general elections, warning that Nigeria’s democracy faces grave danger if urgent reforms are not enacted.
The civic coalition announced plans to establish advocacy and mobilisation structures across the 36 states of the federation and to stage protests at the National Assembly over stalled and weakened electoral reform efforts.
The position was endorsed by members of the MCE Steering Council, including Dr Usman Bugaje, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo, Hajia (Dr) Bilikisu Magoro, Comrade Promise Adewusi, Comrade Ene Obi and HC Peter Ameh.
MCE said Nigeria’s growing political fragility was driven largely by declining public trust in elections and the repeated failure of the electoral system to reflect the true will of voters.
The coalition said it was deeply concerned about the steady deterioration of electoral credibility across successive election cycles.
“Across successive electoral cycles, Nigerians have witnessed the same troubling patterns,” the group said.
“These include electoral violence, voter suppression, vote buying, weak logistics, selective deployment of technology, poor enforcement of electoral laws, manipulation during collation, and the open circumvention of voters’ choices.”
According to MCE, these challenges had become systemic and, without decisive constitutional and electoral reforms, the credibility of the 2027 general elections would be seriously undermined.
“The consequences will be deeper public disillusionment, growing resentment and further erosion of democratic legitimacy, opening doors to political instability,” the statement warned.
MCE, described as a national coalition of civic groups and citizens inaugurated at the National Summit on Electoral Reforms on November 11, 2025, in Abuja, called on the leadership of the National Assembly to prioritise far-reaching and non-negotiable reforms during the ongoing harmonisation of electoral reform bills.
Among its key demands is the strengthening of the Electoral Act 2022 through targeted amendments to close loopholes that weaken transparency and accountability.
“In particular, provisions dealing with accreditation, result collation, transmission and declaration of results must be clarified and strengthened to remove discretion that enables abuse,” the group said.
“The current ambiguity in sections dealing with result management has been exploited to justify manual interference after polling unit results are known.”
MCE identified the refusal of the National Assembly to make electronic transmission of results mandatory as the most contentious issue.
“MCE demands the amendment of the Electoral Act 2022, especially the provisions relating to collation and transmission of results, to explicitly require real-time electronic transmission of polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV),” the statement said.
It stressed that such transmission must be “mandatory, immediate and non-negotiable,” warning that any dilution of the provision would preserve opportunities for manipulation between polling units and collation centres.
The coalition also called for stronger sanctions for electoral offences, arguing that existing penalties were weak and poorly enforced.
“Sections of the Electoral Act dealing with electoral offences must be strengthened to impose clear, deterrent penalties for vote buying, voter intimidation, assault on election personnel, destruction of election materials and falsification of results,” it said.
MCE further urged the creation of enforceable mechanisms for investigation and prosecution, including coordination with security agencies and the judiciary.
On institutional reforms, the group demanded amendments to guarantee the operational independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“This includes timely release of funds, statutory protection for INEC staff, and safeguards against political interference in logistics, recruitment and deployment of personnel,” it said, adding that independence must be reflected in daily operations, not merely in law.
The coalition also called for a full and independent audit of INEC’s technological infrastructure, including BVAS, IREV, data storage systems, cybersecurity architecture and backup mechanisms.
“Such audits should be conducted by credible independent experts and concluded well ahead of the 2027 elections to prevent last-minute excuses and system failures,” it said.
On inclusion, MCE urged reforms to expand participation for historically excluded groups.
“This includes legislative measures to promote the participation of youth, women and persons with disabilities, to allow diaspora voting and early voting for security personnel, health workers and other essential service providers,” the statement said.
The group also called for stricter enforcement of internal party democracy through amendments to Section 84 of the Electoral Act to compel transparent primaries and compliance with party finance regulations.
“Sanctions for violations must be clear and enforced without selective application,” it warned.
On post-election justice, MCE insisted that election petitions should be concluded before winners are sworn into office.
“Allowing disputed mandates to be exercised while cases drag on undermines justice and rewards electoral malpractice,” the coalition said.
It also demanded that INEC be legally required to complete all verification and validation processes before declaring final results, noting that premature declarations had fueled post-election conflicts.
MCE raised concerns about pre-election judicial interference and urged limits on court orders that disrupt electoral processes at critical stages.
“While access to justice remains important, judicial interventions that derail election preparations or alter timelines at the last minute have repeatedly undermined credibility,” it said.
On political defections, the group aligned with calls to amend Sections 68 and 109 of the Constitution to make defection by elected officials grounds for automatic loss of office.
“The current abuse of defections has distorted voter mandates and weakened party accountability,” the statement added.
The coalition further demanded reforms to the appointment process for INEC leadership, calling for a transparent, merit-based and participatory process as recommended by the Justice Uwais Report.
MCE urged Nigerians to participate in the planned Occupy NASS protest scheduled for Monday, February 9, 2026.
“This mobilisation is a peaceful defence of the popular will and a clear rejection of any attempt to return Nigeria to manual manipulation and backroom result fabrication,” the group said.
“Democracy dies when votes are stolen. It is time to end electoral rigging in Nigeria.”