CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS AND ELECTION OBSERVATION AND MONITORING IN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF THE 2023 GENERAL ELECTIONS

This study examined civil society organizations and election observation and monitoring in Nigeria, with a focus on the 2023 general elections. The specific objectives of the study were to examine the effectiveness of civil society organizations in promoting electoral integrity and credibility during the 2023 general elections in Nigeria, and to investigate how civil society organizations election observation and monitoring during the 2023 general elections impacted on the Nigeria's electoral process. The study was hinged on the explanatory variables of the Systems Theory, adapted from the biological sciences to the social sciences by David Easton. The study applied the ex-post facto research design and relied exclusively on secondary sources, including official reports, scholarly works, and credible media publications. Data were analyzed using documentary review and content analysis. The findings revealed that the civil society organizations were not effective in promoting electoral integrity and credibility during the 2023 general elections in Nigeria, and that the civil society organizations' observation and monitoring during the 2023 general elections have not impacted on the Nigeria's electoral process. Consequently, the elections were characterized by systemic irregularities, vote buying, technological sabotage of BVAS, manipulation of results during collation, and widespread monetization of politics severely undermined the 2023 electoral process. Also, electoral malpractice eroded public trust, fueled protests, deepened political polarization, and triggered a legitimacy crisis. The study recommends comprehensive institutional reforms for INEC, strict enforcement of campaign finance laws, adoption of transparent collation systems, improved communication strategies, and judicial reforms to restore public confidence and strengthen Nigeria’s democratic institutions.