15/09/2026
Press Release:
CYPA Africa Calls for a Democracy That Goes Beyond the Ballot
Jos, Nigeria — 15 September 2026
Today, the Centre for Youth Participation, Dialogue and Advocacy (CYPA Africa) joins the global community in commemorating the International Day of Democracy.
Democracy is not just about voting. It is about freedom, participation, inclusion, accountability, dialogue and the right of citizens to engage with those seeking to govern them.
We are increasingly concerned by practices that shrink Nigeria's democratic space.
A democracy cannot claim to be open when political candidates are stopped from entering states to engage citizens, or when candidates are required to pay hundreds of millions of naira simply to campaign or advertise.
When a presidential candidate is asked to pay ₦200 million for a campaign permit, as recently reported in Abia, or ₦50 million in Anambra, we must ask whether such charges are genuinely about regulation—or whether they have become financial barriers designed, intentionally or otherwise, to keep political competition away.
Political participation must not become a privilege reserved for those who can afford it.
No governor owns a state. No political party owns the people. And no government should determine which political voices citizens are allowed to hear.
Reasonable regulations for public safety and outdoor advertising are legitimate. But they must be lawful, proportionate, transparent and applied equally to every political actor.
For Africa's young population, this matters enormously. Young people must not be reduced to voters who appear every four years. Young people are stakeholders in governance today.
CYPA Africa, we believe democracy must create space for disagreement, competition, participation and accountability.
Democracy must not end at the ballot box.
It must continue in our institutions, our communities and our everyday lives.
As we mark the International Day of Democracy, CYPA Africa calls on Nigerian Politicians to exercise restraint and observe decorum even as they prepare for the 2027 General Elections, Democracy can only survive if the institutions designed to protect it do not collude to undermine the right and privileges of every Nigerian.
CYPA Africa calls on the Federal Government of Nigeria and security agencies to ensure the safety of opposition political leaders and their support during and after these campaign seasons. We urge the inspector general of politics and other sister security agencies to ensure that no life is lost or property destroyed in the build up of the 2027 General Elections.
CYPA Africa calls on the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC to ensure that the 2027 general elections in Nigeria are free, Fair and credible and void of any manipulative tendencies that will erode citizens trust in the democratic process.
CYPA Africa calls on the young people of Nigeria to ensure they participate in the democratic process beyond the ballot. Even as we approach the 2027 general elections, we call on young people to shun election violence, demand inclusion and protect their vote across polling units in Nigeria. Democracy can only strive if young people have some seats at the table where decisions about their future are made.
Thank you.
Amb Amb Chris Iyama
Executive Director
CYPA Africa
YouthhubAfrica U.S. Mission Nigeria MacArthur Foundation Good Governance Africa Ford Foundation LEAP Africa YALF United Nations Youth Association-Nigeria Open Society Foundations Embassy of Sweden in Abuja Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre - PLAC
