IPC, CEMESO Host Experts Forum on Building Electoral Trust, Address Contemporary Issues in Electoral Process

The Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO) is set to host a two-day event in Abuja on June 26 and 27, focusing on “Dealing with Contemporary Salient Issues in the Electoral Process.” The event aims to address contentious issues arising from recent elections and discuss tactics and strategies to resolve them.

Professor Samuel G. Egwu will present on contemporary electoral issues, while Mr. Nicholas Bise Dazang will moderate the sessions to ensure productive interaction.

Approximately 40 journalists from various broadcast media outlets and representatives from the inclusion community are expected to attend. They will explore strategies for enhancing civic and voter education through responsible media coverage.

Mr. Lanre Arogundade, the Executive Director of the International Press Centre (IPC), emphasized the importance of accountability among key stakeholders in the electoral process. “The thrust of our message is that all the key stakeholders in the electoral processes and elections must take their roles seriously, openly commit to improving on the performance of the roles and be ready to be held accountable for the commitments by the media in particular and the civil society in general,” he said. “We are emphasising trust because without it there cannot be mass and informed participation, which in turn would serve as catalysts of credible and acceptable elections,” he added.

Dr. Akin Akingbulu, the Executive Director of CEMESO, highlighted the importance of addressing key electoral issues. “Without meticulously identifying and examining the salient issues in the electoral processes particularly in the aftermath of the last general elections, it might be difficult to decide on the best approaches for tackling the contentious ones, so we consider the planned engagement as an important step towards developing appropriate civic and voter education messages to improve future elections,” he said.

Supported by the European Union, the efforts by IPC and CEMESO reflect a collective commitment to advancing democratic governance and fostering transparent electoral practices in Nigeria.