Beyond the security situation and the controversies arising from the interpretation of the 2022
Electoral Act by politicians and political parties, the lack of internal democracy in parties,
monetization of the electoral process and the issue of zoning will all be critical issues that are
likely to affect the outcome of the 2023 general elections.

It is on this basis that the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) and the Centre for
Democracy and Development (CDD) organized a one-day colloquium to discuss "Emerging
Issues that will Shape the 2023 General Elections in Nigeria". The event was held on 25 May
2022 and was attended by a broad spectrum of stakeholders interested in ensuring the peaceful and credible conduct of elections in Nigeria. They included the current Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and his immediate predecessor,
representatives from leading civil society groups, political parties, security agencies, academia, and the media.

The keynote address by Prof Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of INEC, kicked off the day of
discussions and was followed by four enriching panel sessions that x-rayed diverse emerging
challenges to the conduct of elections in Nigeria with solutions proffered. The first panel dealt
with the perquisites for a successful general election in 2023. The second panel examined the
emerging threats and challenges to a successful 2023 general election. The theme of the third
panel was the pathways to electoral accountability in 2023, while the fourth panel was a
summary of cardinal issues arising from the colloquium.