The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has called on the national assembly to urgently review its stance on electoral reforms, particularly the mandatory real-time transmission of results.
Lucius Ugorji, the archbishop of Owerri and outgoing president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, made the call on Sunday at the opening session of the 2026 first plenary meeting at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria in Abuja.
Speaking on the theme, ‘The Common Good and Leadership in Nigeria’, Ugorji expressed concern over the “steady decline” in voter turnout, noting that participation dropped from 69 percent in 2003 to a record low of 23 percent in 2023.
“This decline says a lot about citizens’ trust in the electoral process and calls into question the legitimacy of elected officials in a democratic dispensation with the mandate of an ever-decreasing minority,” NAN quoted Ugorji as saying.
He said that to end this “downward trend,” federal lawmakers must ensure that the Electoral Act provides for the mandatory transmission of results from the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) at polling units directly to the Independent National Electoral Commission result viewing (IReV) portal.
The cleric said such a move is essential to “prevent any human tampering with the expressed will of the electorate.”
He added that while the legislature passed the 2025 Tax Act mandating digital filing and record-keeping, it appeared to “water down” the people’s will regarding digital transparency in elections.
“The honourable members of the NASS should not allow themselves to be perceived as talking out of both sides of the mouth. The world is watching. Above all, God is also watching,” he warned.
The CBCN president also highlighted the “senseless massacres” and rising insecurity across the country, citing recent killings in Kwara State.
He lamented the economic sabotage caused by illegal mining, which reportedly costs Nigeria approximately nine billion dollars annually.
In his remarks, Mike Omeri, chairman of the occasion and former director-general of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), challenged leaders to embrace “servant leadership” to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor.
