Conference: The Nigerian Elections 2023 - Impacts and Perspectives

Building from research conducted within IFRA-Nigeria elections observatory, the institute hosted a day of roundtables and a keynote lecture by Professor Eghosa Osaghae on June 14^th aimed at assessing what happened during this election cycle and what it means for the political and social dynamics of the country.

The 2023 Nigerian presidential election that took place on the 23^rd of February was characterised by low turnout and logistical difficulties while the gubernatorial elections, that took place three weeks later, appeared to have been more peaceful - even if still marred by controversies. 

Since December 2022, IFRA-Nigeria has launched an election observatory. In December, the institute and Nigeria Watch held their first event with Nigerian academics who highlighted a series of challenges, including the inclusiveness of the electoral process. IFRA-Nigeria has supported young researchers who have conducted fieldwork throughout the election period with various approaches and topics. In parallel, the Nigeria Watch team has continued to keep track of the number of violent deaths and identified the main protagonists of such violent occurrences, especially when they related to the electoral process. During the conference the six young researchers hired by IFRA where able to present the result of their research while Nigeria Watch staff moderated the debate.

Tags: Violence, Election, Democracy