The Policy Vault Insights and Opinions

March 31, 2023 Add to library

How Has Kenyan President William Ruto Fared Six Months Into His Tenure?

Elected on the promise of a "Bottom-Up Economic Transformation," President Ruto has taken several early actions in line with his pledges of economic transformation. He recently promised a KES50 billion annual commitment to the Hustlers Fund initiative —a financial inclusion fund to provide affordable credit to businesses, aimed at boosting economic growth and employment. He has also kept his promise on the housing and settlement plan by launching several affordable housing projects across the country.

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March 2, 2023 Add to library

INEC’s Failures Define the Nigerian General Elections 

The All Progressives Congress’ Bola Tinubu has been announced as the President-elect and the victor of this process. Given the range of problems, it’s likely that this result will be contested by the other major parties and disputed by a significant share of the public. In fact, the People’s Democratic Party, Labour Party and New Nigeria People’s Party have already called on INEC to cancel the results and hold fresh elections. That’s a demand that will most likely not be met, leaving the convoluted electoral dispute resolution process at the Courts as their only real recourse.

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February 22, 2023 Add to library

Looking Forward to Nigeria’s General Elections: What are the Big Issues? 

On February 25 and March 11, 2023, Nigerians will vote in the presidential and gubernatorial elections following a competitive electoral campaign where national issues such as unemployment, inflation, fuel scarcity, insecurity, fuel subsidy and theft, public sector corruption, and university lecturers’ strikes have dominated public discussions. The All Progressives Congress’ Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the People’s Democratic Party’s Atiku Abubakar and the Labour Party’s Peter Obi are the major candidates heading into the weekend polls, with the New Nigeria People’s Party’s Rabiu Kwankwaso playing the role of spoiler. While Nigerians would no doubt appreciate the fervour with which candidates have shared their plans with them, several other factors will play a key role in shaping the outcome of the elections. We consider these factors briefly.

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February 22, 2023 Add to library

Electoral Violence: A Threat to Safe & Credible Elections in 2023 

As Nigerians vote in the general elections this weekend, the public expects the process to be more credible than previous elections given the new Electoral Act, which has been designed to address the disenfranchisement of citizens and ensure fairness, credibility, and transparency in Nigerian elections. However, there are still concerns about the state of insecurity in the country. For instance, recent security warnings from the United State Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria advising their citizens not to travel to 15 states in the country due to insecurity— crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and kidnapping—have exacerbated public fears. In what follows, we take a brief look at the historical issues of electoral violence in Nigeria, how these issues might pose a threat to the 2023 elections, and the measures that can be taken by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to prevent violence in during the 2023 elections and in future elections.

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