Elections Observatory
IFRA-Nigeria’s Elections Observatory
IFRA-Nigeria intends to play a role in observing and analysing the social impacts of Nigerian policies, polities, and politics in a short- and long-term perspective. In this electoral setting, IFRA launched an observatory overseeing the 2023 elections in Nigeria. The aim is to produce data and analysis from various standpoints on the election process. To further this endeavour, IFRA-Nigeria sponsored and spearheaded several initiatives. A Roundtable on the 2023 Nigerian elections kickstarted this initiative on the 8th of December 2022.
IFRA-Nigeria & IFRI partnerships
IFRA-Nigeria partnered with the Institut Français des Relations Internationales (IFRI) and commissioned a paper to Dr. Sa'eed Husaini, researcher at the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) that was published in February 2023. The paper titled “Nigeria’s 2023 Election: Democratic Development and Political Fragmentation” is freely accessible following this link.
On the 16th of March 2023, IFRA-Nigeria, and the French institute of international relations (IFRI) co-organised an online seminar on the Nigerian general elections featuring Dr. Elodie Apard, Research Officer at IRD, Dr. Benjamin Augé, Research Associate at IFRI; Dr. Sa'eed Husaini, Researcher at the Centre for Democracy and Development and Dr. Cyrielle Maingraud-Martinaud, Deputy Director of IFRA-Nigeria. The debate was moderated by Alain Antil, Director of IFRI’s Sub-Saharan Africa Centre. This event reviewed the electoral process and the results of the elections while replacing them in historical dynamics and structural challenges of the country. The recording of this event is available here.
Screenshot of the online conference co-organised by IFRA-Nigeria and IFRI on March 16th, 2023
Ethnographic fieldwork projects
IFRA-Nigeria is funding six young Nigerian researchers to conduct fieldwork-based research upon different topics and to promote new point of views and analytical lenses to understand topical issues in social sciences. These researchers conducted ethnographic fieldwork on various aspects of the electoral events. The research was carried out in several regions and covered issues such as the involvement of women in the electoral process, the violence they suffered and their way to reorganise themselves and answer to violence; the challenges faced by the ad hoc collation agents of the Independent National Electoral Election (INEC), and the nature of elections in a local government bordering Benin.
Adedeji Adebayo (researcher) with Ms. Iyabo Ojo, Ìyál'ọ́jà (chief) of Ikere-Ekiti at her house in Ikere, February 22nd, 2023 – credit: Adedeji Adebayo
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 14th aimed at assessing what happened during this election cycle and what it means for the political and social dynamics of the country.
Professor Eghosa Osaghae at the institute of African studies (University of Ibadan) on June 14th
IFRA-Nigeria staff and five of the six researchers recruited to observe and analyse the election process, June 14th 2023. From left to right: Mr Ikefuama Okechukwu Livingstone, Mrs Elizabeth Njo Obimbua, Dr. Adedeji Adebayo, Mr Lateef Olalekan Aremu, Dr. Barbara Morovich (IFRA-Nigeria director), Dr. Olusapo Olakunle Thompson, Mr Youssef Bouri (Researcher Project manager), Dr. Cyrielle Maingraud-Martinaud (IFRA-Nigeria Deputy director and researcher),
List of researchers and provisional research titles
Dr. Adedeji Adebayo
How much does a vote cost? Politics of inducement in Ikere Local Government Area, Ekiti State, Southwestern Nigeria
Elizabeth Njo Obimbua
Electoral violence and the female gender in Lafia local government area of Nasarawa state
Ikefuama Okechukwu Livingstone
Border spaces: interrogating voting behaviour in Nigeria’s ungoverned spaces
Lateef Olalekan Aremu
Protecting the vulnerable actors: violence during electoral campaigns and participation of women in politics in Ibadan metropolis
Dr. Olusapo Olakunle Thompson
An assessment of the challenges of the independent national electoral election (inec) ad hoc collation officers in the 2023 general elections
Obafemi Seyi Peter
Countering vote-buying with voter education; a field researcher’s account of the 2023 general elections in Egbeda Iga of Oyo state.
Tags: Election
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