Ekejiuba, currently participating in the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, said Nigeria could become a cynosure for other developing economies if it emulates the Michigan’selectoral model.

Discussing alongside Lansing’s Chief Deputy Clerk, Brian Jackson at Lansing City Hall, on electoral reforms, civic engagement and cross-border solutions to improve elections in both emerging and mature democracies, he advocated global collaboration to engender electoral integrity and civic engagement, as he reaffirms the role of youths in strengthening democracy.

“Our discussion was a robust exchange of ideas rooted in shared democratic values and practical realities on both sides of the Atlantic. It highlighted the significance of cross-border collaboration and non-partisan exchange in promoting electoral democracy globally,” he said.

Leading youth-driven electoral interventions through his ‘VOTE Africa initiative and Progressive Abia Youths,’ he used the opportunity to study the systems that ensure electoral integrity and voter participation in Michigan and to compare them to the current challenges facing Nigeria and Africa’s electoral process.

He noted that Nigeria could do to build a freer, fairer, and more inclusive electoral process including making voter registration fun, easy and continuous for the youths. “Cumbersome processes, last-minute deadline pressures and lack of youth-friendly engagements remain key barriers that we have to deal with to improve the electoral system and outcomes in Nigeria and across Africa. We need to strengthen political parties to be active at polling points. In the US, political parties are ideological, vibrant, organised and present at most, if not every, polling unit, often providing voter education and mobilisation in a structured way.

“Political parties in Nigeria and across the continent must exist beyond statutory electoral gains to represent ideological positions, ensuring they have clear responsibilities, not just during rallies but at polling units and in ongoing civic engagement.

“There is also an urgent need to upgrade technological systems and defend against hacks with trials implemented before the main elections. During the 2020 U.S. election, Michigan employed robust cybersecurity defences, real-time incident reporting, and multi-factor authentication for election administrators. These efforts helped prevent tampering and secured over five million votes cast in the state,” he stated.