Are we really reforming elections in Nigeria, just renaming same problems?

By Zebulon Chinedum Obi

Every election season in Nigeria seems to come with renewed hope.
There is always talk of reforms, transparency, improved systems, and technology that will finally make the process work better. And for a brief moment, it feels like maybe—just maybe—things will be different this time.

But once the campaigns end and voting takes place, the familiar pattern returns.
Disputes begin almost immediately.

Results are contested. Public confidence is questioned. And before long, the courts once again become the final arena where election outcomes are effectively determined, often months after the votes have been cast.

Recently, discussions around a “2026 electoral re-enactment” have begun to surface. It raises an important question: are we genuinely improving the electoral process, or simply rebranding the same underlying challenges?

The Electoral Act 2022 was widely welcomed with expectations of greater transparency and credibility, particularly with the introduction of technological tools intended to strengthen the process. Many Nigerians were hopeful that this would mark a turning point.

However, the recurring pattern of post-election disputes has continued to raise concerns about whether these reforms have achieved their intended impact.

This is not a criticism of the judiciary, which continues to perform its constitutional role in resolving electoral disputes. Rather, it highlights a deeper concern: the increasing reliance on post-election litigation as a defining feature of the electoral process.

At this point, one is left to ask whether the election itself is truly the final expression of the people’s will, or merely the beginning of a prolonged legal process that determines what was already contested on election day.

In many cases, the electoral process appears incomplete until a judicial pronouncement is made. Votes are cast, but finality is delayed. Confidence is tested, then re-established, sometimes months later in court.

Against this backdrop, every new announcement of reform, review, or re-enactment naturally invites scrutiny.

The key question remains whether these changes meaningfully improve the experience of the ordinary voter, or whether they simply introduce new terminology for long-standing challenges.

Nigeria does not appear to lack electoral laws.

What remains in question is the certainty and confidence that once votes are cast, the outcome reflects a final and undisputed decision of the people.

Until that confidence is achieved, the conversation around electoral reform will likely continue in familiar cycles, regardless of the terminology used.