Nigerians have been urged to set the tone of elections in Nigeria by ensuring that they emphasise what is right at every stage of the election.

At a meeting held in London, between the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and some civil society groups, on Nigeria’s 2014 and 2015 elections, some issues for Nigerians to consider were raised.

The participants stressed the need for Nigerians to determine the quality of election they get.

A leader of a group, Democracy Network, Inemo Samiama, pointed out that the quality of candidates presented by political parties should be considered by Nigerians before they cast their votes.

“It is not just about election but about the quality of candidates they get.

“With the new party that came up, it is expected that Nigerians will have a choice. However, we are still waiting for the political manifesto and fresh ideas from the political parties,” Mr Samiama said.

An official of the Nigerian Women Trust Fund, Ayisha Osori, also stressed the need for Nigerians to use social media to monitor electoral activities and spotlight candidates of various political parties.

The chairman of the electoral commission, Professor Attahiru Jega, told the gathering that monitoring elections in the rural areas of Nigeria was a challenge, stressing the need for political parties to deploy more agents in monitoring the collation of results.

“The key problem is that many parties lack the capacity to deploy agents to be able to get information and track what happens from polling units to collation centres.

At the meeting, the concentration of election observers in urban areas was discouraged, with the groups stressing the need for observers to equally monitor electoral activities in rural areas.

The meeting was part of INEC’s efforts in ensuring a credible, free and fair election in some Nigerian states in 2014 and the general elections in 2015.