ROLE OF ACADEMICS AND PROFESSIONALS IN PROMOTING ELECTION TRANSPARENCY IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The promotion of election transparency is a fundamental to the sustenance of credible and enduring democratic governance. Election transparency requires that elections are conducted in an open and impartial manner and in full compliance with the constitution and other established laws and guidelines, such that the relevant stakeholders including the citizens can monitor, scrutinize the process and accept the outcome. However, in Nigeria, the credibility of elections has been frequently challenged, based on the allegations of electoral malpractice, vote buying, voter intimidation, fraudulent administrative and technical failures, misinformation, manipulation of results and other electoral vices. Against the above background, this paper advances the recognition that the promotion of electoral transparency cannot be left exclusively to electoral management institutions and the fact that academics and professionals have critical role to play in promoting electoral transparency. Academics contribute to electoral transparency through research, voter education, policy evaluation, electoral data analysis and evidence-based recommendations for reform, while professionals contribute by providing technical expertise, independent scrutiny, legal accountability, accurate reporting and monitoring of electoral procedures. Therefore, the paper adopted the doctrinal research methodology and examined the respective roles of academics and professionals in promoting election transparency in Nigeria. It found that there is trust deficit in the Nigerian elections. Hence the need for better cooperation between the academia, professional bodies, electoral bodies, and civil society can greatly enhance transparency and accountability in the Nigerian electoral system. It however, argued that for them to work, they need to be independent and have good professional ethics as well as adequate technical expertise to access reliable electoral information. The paper concluded that the academic institutions and professional bodies should be mobilized to collaborate effectively with electoral institutions and civil society to achieve electoral transparency in Nigeria.