Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, Dr Sam Amadi, has urged opposition political parties and organised labour to spearhead electoral reforms in Nigeria, warning that leaving the process solely to non-governmental organisations will not deliver lasting change.
Speaking on Arise Television in Abuja on Wednesday, Amadi argued that the credibility of future elections rests on the active involvement of political stakeholders and labour unions. He insisted that both the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have the strength and legitimacy to compel government action.
“The mistake in the past is that we have made electoral reform an NGO-based activity. The guys who have skill in the game, the political parties, should lead electoral reform,” he said. “We think that with NLC and TUC being part of this process, it will produce results. Labour is the only civic organisation that has the capacity to impose costs. So we say Labour, take this up in your congress, in the highest decision-making body, and make these simple steps.”
Amadi stressed that reforms should not end at advocacy but must be backed by political mobilisation and resources from the parties themselves. He called for stronger party structures and a national consensus driven by labour and opposition to restore public trust in Nigeria’s electoral system.
