The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the National Assembly, security agencies, political parties and politicians to uphold transparency ahead of the the 2027 general elections.

The Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Tony Ojukwu, said this in a statement isued in Abuja on Friday in commemoration this year’s national Democracy Day, observed annually on 12 June in Nigeria.

Nigeria started observing 12 June as the Democracy Day in 2019 in recognition of the June 12, 1993 presidential election won by Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola.

The election, although considered the fairest and freest in Nigeria’s history yet, was annulled by the military regime of Ibrahim Babangida.

Given the national upheavals that followed the annullment and the death of Mr Abiola in custody in July 1998 while battling to claim his electoral mandate, the election turned out to be a watershed in the nation’s struggle to return to democratic rule which materialised in 1999.

In 2018, then-President Muhammadu Buhari changed the Democracy Day to 12 June, from 29 May, the anniversary date for the inauguration of the first democratically elected president as Nigeria transitioned to democratic rule in 1999.

Mr Ojukwu noted on Friday that 12 June remained important in Nigeria’s history.

He said the day is “a reminder that credible elections are a fundamental human right, not a privilege.”

“The June 12, 1993 election remains Nigeria’s clearest proof that free, fair, and transparent polls are possible when institutions respect the will of the people,” Mr Ojukwu, a Senior Advicate of Nigeria, said.

However, he lamented that despite almost three decades of Nigeria’s democracy, Nigeria is stil grappling with voter suppression, vote buying, electoral violence, and result manipulation.

Mr Ojukwu described these as direct violations of citizens’ civil and political rights that undermine public trust, weaken accountability, and erode the dignity of Nigerian voters.

Therefore, he urged “INEC, political parties, security agencies, the judiciary, civil society, and the media to uphold neutrality, transparency, and accountability” and called on the National Assembly “to strengthen laws safeguarding electoral independence and access to justice.”

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He reaffirmed NHRC’s commitment to monitoring electoral processes and to working with the government “to make credible elections a lived reality for every citizen.”

The nation’s electoral processes have been marred by vote buying, suppression, and other irregularities.

This year, the National Assembly passed the 2026 Electoral Act to improve the electoral process, but concerns about the integrity and transparency of the elections persist.

Many see the the upcoming Ekiti and Osun states offcycle governorship election as a litumus test for the Joash Amupitan-led INEC.

Democracy Day: NHRC urges INEC, Politicians to ensure transparency before 2027 elections

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