Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) has said it is strategising to ensure electoral credibility, sustainable democracy and equip citizens on their fundamental human rights ahead of the 2023 General Elections.
The Chairman of TMG, Auwal Rafsanjani, disclosed this on Friday in Abuja at the group’s Reflection and Retrategising Meeting ahead of the 2023 Elections.
He said that the move became imperative in order to entrench the values of transparency and accountability in the electoral process.
He said the group decided to review its strategy to ensure that it participates in the electoral cycle of the country by observing and ensuring that instances of party conventions, primaries and elections and post-elections processes were fully documented.
He said this would ensure that bridges and gaps are identified and improved so that elections would continue to be seen as free, fair, credible and acceptable to Nigerians.
He said, “We have suffered a lot of electoral frauds in Nigeria, we have suffered a lot of violence in Nigeria, we have suffered a lot of deficits in the electoral system and value.
“Therefore, Transition Monitoring Group is restrategising to ensure that Nigerians are fully aware of their fundamental rights as patriotic responsible citizens.
“So that they won’t fall into the hands of people whose ambition or intention is to continue to use election as an opportunity for looting, for stealing and for diversion of public taxpayers money.
“It is also to ensure that Nigerians are able to hold their official accountable because the absence of electoral accountability is what is causing the impunity and that is widening the corruption and mismanagement of governance in Nigeria.”
He added that TMG would also educate and sensitise Nigerians to know how to vote and not to fall into the hands of those engaging in electoral violence, electoral fraud and electoral manipulation.
Rafsanjani called on the Nation Assembly to ignore calls to amend Clause 84 of the Electoral Amendment Law 2022, saying it would cripple democracy and give power to politicians who already have the resources to control things.
“We do not support this kind of unfair contest where people are using their incumbency as political appointees to override other members using their positions and money to influence the outcome of elections.
“It is only fair that there should be a level playing ground for everyone,’’ he said.
Mrs Mirian Menkiti, Vice Chairperson, TMG, said the group was developing a new plan to cover its activities from now until 2026, as a five-year strategic development plan.
Menkiti said that TMG was looking forward to using technologies to deploy more election observers moving ahead from the 10,000 observers it deployed in 2019.
She said that the group would coopt Nigerians into election observation using their phones and other technologies to ensure that the processes are being closely observed.
“We realise that when people notice that they are being observed, they do things better. ‘’ she said