2023 poll credibility: INEC, Catholic bishops clash

Catholic bishops

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria at the weekend criticised the conduct of the 2023 election, saying it has eroded the confidence of Nigerians in the nation’s electoral process.

But in a swift reaction, the Independent National Electoral Commission rejected the verdict, describing the bishops’ position as “ungodly”.

Speaking on Saturday in Akwa Ibom State during the 2025 interactive session of the CBCN with lay faithful of the Calabar Ecclesiastical Province, the CBCN President and Archbishop of Owerri, Lucius Ugorji, warned that the country was “sinking on many fronts,” lamenting that the 2023 general elections further eroded citizens’ confidence in the nation’s democracy.

The Archbishop identified corruption as the root of Nigeria’s crises, describing it as “moral rottenness spreading unchecked like a deadly cancer.”

He accused leaders of neglecting governance in favour of personal ambition ahead of 2027.

“While the country is faced with serious existential threats, many politicians at the national and sub-national levels seem more preoccupied with the 2027 general elections and less concerned with fulfilling their campaign promises,” Ugorji said.

He cautioned that unless drastic reforms were undertaken, Nigeria risked total collapse.

Turning to electoral matters, Ugorji said the 2023 elections further eroded public trust.

“Citizens’ confidence in the electoral process was seriously eroded during the last general elections by electoral malpractice, fraud and the so-called election glitches,” he declared.

He called for comprehensive reforms, including real-time electronic transmission and collation of results, as well as constitutional amendments to guarantee the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission.