Youth leaders, civil society organisations and electoral reform advocates have intensified calls for sweeping reforms in Nigeria’s electoral and legal systems, following a town hall meeting on youth-led electoral reform held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
The engagement, organised by the Fringe Voices Development Foundation in partnership with the YPP Electoral Reform Consortium, brought together a diverse mix of young people, civic educators, party representatives and governance experts to examine the persistent barriers limiting youth participation in governance.
Supported by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, the gathering served as one of the most coordinated regional conversations on the future of Nigeria’s electoral system—placing young people at the center of the discourse.
Executive Director of Fringe Voices, Tare Maureen, said empowering young people with civic knowledge remains central to strengthening Nigeria’s democratic foundations. She noted that democracy thrives when young citizens understand how institutions work and acquire the capacity to influence governance processes.
“The quality of political awareness we cultivate today determines the direction of our democracy tomorrow,” she said. Maureen stressed the need for structured youth engagement, collaborative platforms and sustained partnerships between CSOs, political parties and reform-focused networks.
YPP Bayelsa Ambassador, John Johnson, explained that many young people appear disengaged not because of apathy but due to limited understanding of political and legal processes. He advocated for simplified civic education tools, school-based sensitization programmes and community dialogues to demystify complex laws.
The meeting opened with goodwill messages from leading civil society partners, including the Chairman of the Bayelsa NGOs Forum (BANGOF), Taritein Boco, who described the event as “an opportunity for collective action, not just another gathering.”
Boco applauded the organisers for sustaining civic conversations and highlighted the urgency of adopting key reforms, such as the establishment of an Election Petition Resolution Board, an Electoral Offences Commission, and a more transparent system for appointing INEC leadership.
“These reforms speak directly to the aspirations of citizens, especially our young people, who remain the heart of democratic renewal,” he said, reaffirming BANGOF’s commitment to evidence-based advocacy and amplifying citizen voices.
During deliberations, participants from National Youth Council Nigeria, Youth Development Ministry and political parties expressed concern over the complex nature of Nigeria’s legal framework, noting that inadequate public understanding continues to weaken electoral credibility. They said many Nigerians—particularly young people—lack the civic knowledge required to navigate party processes, protect their rights or challenge electoral irregularities.
A major issue raised was the exorbitant cost of nomination forms, which participants described as exclusionary and aimed at shutting out young aspirants. With some forms now priced as high as ₦100 million, speakers said internal democracy is being undermined by financial barriers that turn primaries into revenue-generating ventures.
Participants also criticised the rise of government-sponsored CSOs and the trend of opposition parties aligning with the ruling party for convenience, warning that these practices erode public trust and weaken democratic accountability.
Head of Research at Fringe Voices, Dr. Stanley Boroh, urged young Nigerians to deepen their civic and legal literacy, saying law must serve as “an instrument for positive social engineering.”
The meeting ended with a consensus on key action points, including coordinated social media campaigns, strategic advocacy visits to lawmakers, and the development of a comprehensive communiqué to guide the next phase of engagement on electoral reform.
