Mandate4 Hosts #FixINEC Community Engagement in Paipe Community in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria – May 17, 2025
Over 200 residents of Paipe community in Abuja gathered for a groundbreaking community engagement event organized by Mandate4’s #FixINEC campaign, aimed at simplifying electoral complexities through a participatory and gamified learning experience.
The event, titled “Grassroots Democracy in Action”, brought civic education directly to the people, using a game-based simulation to replicate the stages of Nigeria’s electoral process – flawed, partially reformed, and fully credible elections. Participants, including first-time voters, youth, women, and civic mobilizers, took part in a highly engaging, structured experience designed to foster critical thinking and drive citizen demand for electoral reforms.
Each participant group selected a candidate to represent their “canopy” (political bloc) and participated in three simulated election rounds:
- Round 1 – Flawed Elections: Orchestrated to expose systemic irregularities such as rigging and voter suppression, this round triggered immediate reactions and conversations about Nigeria’s current democratic shortcomings.
- Round 2 – Partial Reforms: Although adjusted based on participants’ feedback, hidden manipulation persisted. This round served as a mirror to pseudo-reforms often presented as progress.
- Round 3 – Free, Fair & Credible Elections: With rules co-created by citizens and enforced by “Vote Protectors,” this final round showcased what a truly transparent and people-owned electoral process could look like.
Each simulation phase was followed by guided reflection sessions, allowing citizens to propose actionable solutions and link their experiences to broader national reform goals.
This immersive civic education model demonstrated that electoral reform is not just a policy issue, but a people’s issue. By demystifying democratic processes and allowing citizens to “live” the experience, the Paipe engagement transformed passive voters into active stakeholders in Nigeria’s democratic future.
Speaking at the event, the Founder of Mandate4 emphasized the importance of replicating this model across communities in Nigeria to a community-based mobilization network to demand for electoral reform.
“Democracy is not a spectator sport,” a Century said, “It must be experienced, questioned, and co-created by the people it is meant to serve.”
With the Paipe community now more informed, inspired, and organized, the #FixINEC campaign takes another meaningful step towards building a credible, transparent, and citizen-owned electoral system in Nigeria.