The National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) has called for a dialogue between political parties and deliberate actions to address challenges encountered during the 2023 general elections.

Ayo Omotayo, the NIPSS director-general, stated this at a conference on the 2023 Election with the theme ‘Political Parties, 2023 Elections and the Future of Democracy in Nigeria’ on Tuesday in Abuja.

The Political Parties Leadership and Policy Development Centre of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS-PPLPDC) organised the conference in Kuru, Plateau.

Mr Omotayo listed technology, the place of indigene and non-indigene during elections, among the issues affecting elections.

He added that the NIPSS-PPLPDC strongly believed that political parties were the foundation of democratic development and also indispensable for the success of democratic governance.

“Political parties are key to ensuring national unity and stability of the political process in any democratic nation. NIPSS-PPLPDC consequently acknowledged that trust and cooperation among political parties in Nigeria are imperative to reform the party system and democratic consolidation in Nigeria,” Mr Omotayo explained.

He added, “The 2023 Elections was probably the most keenly contested and highly divisive election since the advent of democracy in 1999. The election brought to the fore a lot of issues that need to be addressed to strengthen our democracy. One of the fundamental issues is the infusion of technology in our voting process, the place of indigene and non-indigene during elections and a host of other issues.”

The NIPSS chief stressed that if the issues were not addressed, Nigeria’s democracy would be endangered and the country’s unity threatened.

“Nonetheless, effective and peaceful dialogue between political parties and the political actors is imperative to galvanise the populace towards national development. There is a need to pacify all aggrieved actors, interrogate the issues raised and proffer solutions to forestall future occurrence,” Mr Omotayo stated.

The NIPSS boss further mentioned that the conference aimed to x-ray the 2023 elections by bringing together all stakeholders involved to discuss the challenges and issues and proffer solutions to improve the conduct of future elections in Nigeria.

Mr Omotayo said creating conditions that support both democratic consolidation and national stability and that the NIPSS-PPLPDC, as a think-thank for the nation, considered the 2023 general election as important because it set the tone for the development of the country going forward.

“We are aware there are positive and negative sides of the election. We need to have a platform that will take stock of the development that happened during the election for us to chart a way forward,” Mr Omotayo said.

YIAGA executive director Samson Itodo said one lesson from the 2023 general election was the need for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be “independent.”

(NAN)