Olushola Omogbehin
As the 2027 general elections approach in Nigeria, the former Governors of Bayelsa and Rivers states, Senator Seriake Dickson and Rotimi Amaechi, have said that electoral fraud, voter apathy and different degrees of political manipulations are potential threats to Nigeria’s democracy.
The duo spoke at the fifth anniversary lecture of First Daily Newspaper, in Abuja, yesterday, where political stakeholders, diplomats and media executives gathered to discuss the future of Nigeria’s electoral system
As the chairman of the event themed: ‘2027: How Can We Make Our Votes Count?’ Dickson said: “Rigging of elections is the worst coup you can plan. A worse form of violation of the sovereignty of the people is when politicians, governments, security agencies, and the electoral umpire itself collude and cook election results that have no reference whatsoever to the people.
“In other words, the people don’t even vote, but votes are written and ascribed to them, and then people say go to court now. As far as I’m concerned, anyone who has carried that out has committed a coup against democracy, against the country, and against the sovereignty of the people.
“I was a governor in an opposition and fought a lot of battles to keep my state in opposition, and I saw all of this. What the average Nigerian politician calls election planning, if we’re honest, is a conspiracy to commit crimes.”
He therefore charged the National Assembly to give strength to the nation’s electoral laws so as to avoid result falsification and protect the people’s mandate.
In his speech, Amaechi shared similar concerns and criticised Nigeria’s failure to implement lasting electoral reforms.
“The problem with elections in Nigeria is that there is no incumbent government that can achieve electoral reform. None. We already tried it and failed,” he said.
Amaech who accused opposition parties of failing to provide an alternative to the ruling elite also warned that voter apathy and public indifference usually create the conditions for rigging to continue unchecked.
Welcoming his guests, the Publisher of First Daily, Daniel Markson, lamented Nigeria’s leadership crisis and blamed it on poor governance.
“There is a leadership issue in this country. I know there are leaders here. I’m not particularly pointing fingers at any of you, but let’s tell ourselves the truth: we have failed,” he said.
Dr Sam Amadi, Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, criticised the unhealthy connection between election management and political power as well as warned that Nigeria’s democracy would remain fragile as long as those overseeing elections were politically aligned.
“Everyone who has something to do with the management of elections is connected to the president,” Amadi lamented.
