From Sola Ojo, Abuja

Speaking at a town hall meeting on electoral reform in Kaduna, yesterday, Nwagwu sounded the alarm, warning that unless citizens understand the laws and processes that govern elections, reforms would remain ineffective.

“The real enemy of democracy is not just rigging or vote buying, it’s ignorance.

“In a room of 30 people, only six have read the Electoral Act or Constitution. That tells you everything,” he stated.

The event, supported by the MacArthur Foundation, was part of PAACA’s national campaign to promote electoral literacy and deepen democratic engagement ahead of the 2027 general elections.

According to Nwagwu, while Nigerians are increasingly eager to participate in the democratic process, the knowledge gap remains dangerously wide, emphasising that meaningful reforms could not take root in an uninformed electorate.

He commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for what he described as ‘silent but significant’ reforms, especially the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).

“In Anambra, party primaries ended without drama, thanks to INEC’s online portal that blocked last-minute candidate substitutions.

“The BVAS has also curbed inflated voter registers and ghost voting. These are gains we must celebrate,” he noted.

He urged journalists to shift their focus beyond negative headlines and help rebuild public trust by reporting on the progress made within the system.

Also speaking, the Kaduna State Director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Danjuma Makama, pledged the agency’s commitment to intensify public education on voting procedures and electoral laws.

He recalled NOA’s role during the 2023 elections, where it launched community-level campaigns to counter vote-buying and election-day violence.

“We saw both strengths and weaknesses in 2023. Our task now is to amplify the positives,” Makama said.

Chairman of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) in Kaduna, Mr. Mikailu Abubakar, described electoral reform as a national duty and called for stronger INEC independence, secure digital transmission of results and deliberate inclusion of women, youth and persons with disabilities.

“Our democracy must be inclusive and credible. Town halls like this amplify the right voices,” he stated.

On the role of security agencies, Ndan Nicholas Kur of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) argued that lessons from 2023 must shape future elections.

He disclosed that INEC recorded over 180 cases of election-related violence across 18 states, with Kano State topping the chart, despite an 11.27 percent increase in registered voters.

Kur, however, called for sustained collaboration among INEC, security agencies, political actors and media to deliver peaceful and credible polls.