One of the major challenges facing democracy and development in Nigeria is the weakness of the electoral process at the local level. Since the return of the current democratic dispensation in 1999, powerful state governors have tended to stifle the democratic process at the grassroots level through various acts of impunity, including the refusal to conduct periodic elections. The electorate have therefore become disempowered and removed from the process of democratic decision making. However, the state of democracy at the local government level, experienced a shot in the arm with the Supreme Court verdict of July 2024, which mandated all states to conduct Local Government elections. With the rush by the states to conduct local government elections, without which funds for Local Government Councils will be withheld, the quality and integrity of the polls in several states were marred and ultimately compromised through the imposition of candidates, the declaration of false and uncollated results. Popular participation in these elections were undermined by the general lack of citizens access to information about key aspects of the electoral process.

In terms of how the electoral process translates to effective governance, the state governors have continued to resist the democratic reforms at the local level. Given the implications Grassroots Center for Rights & Civic Orientation works to promote credible polls at the local government level with the goal of bringing about effective governance. Grassroots Center for Rights & Civic Orientation will beam the spotlight on elections at the Local Government level in Nigeria to ensure the polls they meet the test and reach the minimum standards for credible elections.

This Center is convinced that a democratic system, which delivers quality social goods and services for the people at the local level can only be solidified through credible elections backed up by the supremacy of the will of the electorate. This Center also places premium on the dissemination of credible information, advocacy and capacity building. At the core of our work is the task of ensuring the supremacy of the votes, and ultimately the votes of citizens at the community level. In terms of the evolution of democracy, this Center is committed to promoting democracy at the local level, which in turn nurtures enduring and people-centred political culture at the higher levels, including at the State and Federal level. We believe that without proper democratic accountability at the local level, it will always be challenging to generate the required support system, particularly the right political and civic leaders who will commit to the sustenance of democracy, and ultimately national development.