As part of its activities to build the capacity of journalists and strengthen electoral process in Nigeria for future elections, a non- governmental organisation, Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA), with support from MacArthur Foundation, on Wednesday, trained some select journalists in Akwa Ibom State, on the practical ways to step down advocacy for improved electoral system within the electoral space. The one-day workshop held in Uyo, which drew journalists from the print and electronic media, was aimed at equipping the media professionals with more knowledge and better understanding of the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022, as well as enable them step down the knowledge to their audiences through quality news and other programme contents. In his welcome address at the event, the Executive Director, PAACA, Mr. Ezenwa Nwagwu, appreciated the participants for finding the capacity-building workshop a veritable platform to deepen their knowledge of the Electoral Act and to replicate same through their media of communication to their respective audiences as a step-down strategy.He said the workshop would also redirect journalists to areas in the Electoral Act that would require an intensive and exclusive advocacy, aimed at enhancing the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process for subsequent elections. The Executive Director, who stated the necessity for an improved electoral process through a focus -driven advocacy, disclosed that PAACA had been working in collaboration with Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to make useful contributions to the ongoing Electoral Reform in the country.In his words, ” we want to ensure that more people understand the Electoral Act, the Regulations and Guidelines. For instance, findings have revealed that most people are not aware that elections in Nigeria are still manual, as they have misconstrued electronic transmission of results to mean electronic voting. If people understand the roles they have to play in the electoral process, things would change”.The workshop, which had various sessions ranging from presentation of key Provisions in the Electoral Act, panel discussion on the role of the media in the electoral process, also exposed participants to the different methods of conducting step-down training for election-focused programmes and contents.The journalists, who engaged in a discourse surrounding the electoral process in Nigeria, made wide range contributions and recommendations to the ways through which Nigeria’s electoral fortune could be improved, as well as freed from manipulations and other failings. One of the participants, Abasifreke Effiong of the Dune Newspapers who advocated the taking away the conduct of local government elections from the grip of various states independent electoral commission which he allegedly said constituted a major lacuna in the provision of credible polls at the grassroots, said such steps would guarantee more trust of the electorate in the process.He believed that unless this and other unwholesome practices were captured and amended in the electoral reform ongoing, Nigeria’s electoral process might continue to deteriorate in value and integrity.Ekemini Simon of The Mail Newspaper who was one of the panelists, acknowledged the role journalists played in educating the electorate during the pre-election, election and currently, the post- elections eras of the 2023 general elections. He however opined that for Nigeria to get it right in subsequent elections, the ongoing electoral reform on the floor of the National Assembly must incapacitate all loopholes that aid and abate electoral fraud.Other media professionals who also spoke, pledged to continue to use their platforms to advocate for a robust electoral system where citizens would build confidence in the process.