Ireti Kingibe Urges Nigerians to Demand Electoral Reform, Questions Gaps in Voting Process

Fresh calls for electoral reform are gaining momentum after Ireti Kingibe urged Nigerians to apply sustained pressure for amendments to the country’s electoral laws.

Speaking during an interview on Arise Television, the Federal Capital Territory senator argued that meaningful reform will only happen if citizens consistently demand accountability from political leaders.

Kingibe pushed back against claims that Nigeria’s ballot papers lack security features, insisting that safeguards have always been embedded in the system.

“Since when and in what election have we ever conducted where INEC ballot papers did not have security measures, that you can bring any type of ballot paper and vote with it? It’s never happened,” she said.

She revealed that extensive work had previously gone into designing electoral reforms, involving collaboration between lawmakers, the Independent National Electoral Commission, and civil society organisations.

“For two years we worked on a document that was acceptable. We did a bicameral sitting, not just the Senate, but the Senate and the House, as well as INEC and some CSOs,” she explained.

However, the senator expressed frustration that the final outcome did not reflect the original intentions of the reform process.

“We came up with a document that we felt would give us free and fair elections, but every aspect of it was turned upside down. Now tell me why?” she asked.

Kingibe also questioned the logic behind investing heavily in electoral technology without fully deploying it during elections.

“Why go to the expense of electronic and digital devices if you say you don’t have to use them? Why bother?” she said.

Despite the challenges, she maintained that reform is possible — but only when there is strong and sustained public demand, referencing past political shifts driven by national pressure.