LESSONS, OPPORTUNITIES FOR

POLITICAL AND ELECTORAL

REFORMS FROM THE 2023
GENERAL ELECTIONS
Mohorret E. Bigun
Public Affairs Officers
INEC Gombe State
INEC PREPARATIONS
 Expansion of Voter Access to Polling Units
 Continuous Voters’ Registration (CVR)
 Increased Use of Technology in the electoral

process
◦ Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS)
◦ INEC Election Results Viewing Portal (IReV)
◦ Online accreditation of Observers, Media…
◦ ETC.
TOTAL VOTES CAST FROM 2015
ELECTION NUMBER OF VOTER TOTAL
YEAR REGISTERED TURNOUT VOTES CAST
VOTERS (%)

2015 67,422,005 43.65 29,432,083

2019 84,004,084 34.75 28,614,190

2023 93,469,008 28.63 25,286,616

GOMBE STATE IN FOCUS
ELECTION NO. OF VOTER TOTAL VOTES
YEAR REGISTERED TURNOUT CAST
VOTERS

2015

2019 1,394,393 44.70 623,230

2023 1,575,794 39.14 616,745

POSITIVES FROM THE ELECTIONS
 Lower number of total votes casts compared to 2015 and 2019
which means the BVAS actually worked.
 More political parties in the National Assembly (Senate : APC –
59, PDP – 36, LP – 8, NNPP – 2, SDP – 2, APGA – 1, YPP – 1)
(HoR : APC – 178, PDP – 114, LP – 35, NNPP – 19, APGA – 5,
SDP – 2, ADC -2, YPP – 1)
 Results of the election are available on the INEC Election Result
Viewing Portal (IReV)
 Election reflect the choices of Nigerians more than ever in
history
 For the first time in history, Resident Electoral Commissioners
were suspended during elections (Sokoto, Abia, Adamawa)
DIRE NEED OF POLITICAL AND
ELECTORAL REFORMS
 Women affirmative action in party administration and
leadership
 Special quota for Women in the Legislature
 INEC in need of reforms
Conclusion
 A situation where the number of elected
women into both Executive and Legislative
offices continue to decline is dangerous for
our democracy. There is need for deliberate
reforms that will improve the number of
elected women in the country. Political parties
must show commitment to the issue of
inclusivity in party administration and
leadership.