Dr Anthony Ojukwu, the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has said that the 2023 general elections provided Nigerians the opportunity to advance the country’s democracy and to implement the reforms that have been introduced in the Electoral Act of 2022.
Ojukwu made this known at a forum on the Post Election Assessment and Review on Human Rights In the 2023 General Elections.
He said the forum was organised to review the 2023 General and Off-Cycle Elections from a human rights perspective and assess the extent to which the outcomes reflect the realisation of the rights of the citizens as well as proffer effective solutions for accountability for election-related human rights violations.
“Since the return to democracy in 1999, the commission has been playing a fundamental role in advancing Nigeria’s democracy through the development of programmes aimed at integrating human rights into the electoral process .
“In addition, supporting democratic institutions and election management bodies to deliver on their mandates,” he said.
Ojukwu said the NHRC’s role in this regard is founded on the recognition of the importance of the consolidation of democracy in the realisation of all human rights in Nigeria.
He added at the conclusion of both the General and Off-cycle elections for 2023, the NHRC following its mandate to monitor and assess human rights in Nigeria is conducting an assessment and stocktaking on the place of human rights in the elections,
“This is focusing on the multifarious dimensions of human rights violations before, during and after the elections and propose reforms and effective actions to promote the enjoyment of the election associated with human rights as well as accountability measures for their violations.
“The elections were characterized by many challenges, including reported cases of disenfranchisement, voter intimidation, violence on electorates and electoral staff, allegations of result manipulations and other electoral vices,” he said.
The periods leading to the elections, Ojukwu said, witnessed prolonged campaigns, the longest in Nigeria’s democratic history and characterised by hate speech and heightened political tension.
He also noted that human rights violations by state and non-state actors characterised political activities leading to the elections, on election day and after the polls.
He expressed gratitude for the Ford Foundation for its support to the MOVE Project.
Similarly, Mr Hilary Ogbonna, coordinator of the MOVE project gave a general overview of NHRC human rights monitoring of the monitoring of the 2023 general election.
Ogbonna said that in a few weeks time, the Commission will launch the election reports and other projects.
He noted that the 2023 general elections recorded the highest attack on Media.
“A new trend in the post election now is the loss of faith in the judiciary,” he said.
NHRC is an Independent national institution established under the Paris Principle and the National Human Rights Commission Act (as amended) for the promotion, protection and enforcement of human rights in Nigeria.
The commission on Oct. 17, 2022 came up with a project tagged Mobilising voters for election (MOVE) in partnership with the Legal Defence and Assistance project (LEDAP).
The project was officially launched on Oct 17, 2022 with the aim of promoting voter participation and access in the electoral process through citizens’ education for PVC collection and voting.
Others are advocating human rights and issue-based campaigns for political parties and candidates, monitoring, countering and reporting the use of hate speech before, during and after the 2023 general elections, promoting oversight and accountability in the role of law enforcement in protecting voter access and participation at the election.