HOW TO SAVE NIGERIA’S DEMOCRACY FROM A FEARED 2027 ELECTORAL CALAMITY
MAIN POINTS:
*Leadership must be by ballot, not court; media must follow votes bomber-to-bomber; security agents must stop thugs and protect voters and votes.
By ABANIKANDA OLUMORO (UK)
Leadership must be by ballot, not by courtroom manipulation; the media must follow the votes bomber-to-bomber; and security agents must stop electoral thuggery while protecting voters, electoral officials and votes…The future of Nigeria must not be determined by political thugs, compromised institutions or desperate politicians.
It must be determined by the Nigerian people through their freely expressed votes.
Nigeria stands at a critical democratic crossroads as preparations gradually gather momentum for the 2027 general elections. The choices Nigerians make, the conduct of political leaders, the independence of electoral institutions, the professionalism of security agencies and the courage of the media will determine whether the country strengthens its democracy or slides into another cycle of electoral controversies capable of undermining public confidence in government.
The fear of an electoral calamity in 2027 is not necessarily a prediction that Nigeria will experience a breakdown of democracy. Rather, it is a warning that the country cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of previous elections, particularly where violence, manipulation, vote buying, intimidation, questionable declarations and prolonged courtroom battles have overshadowed the people’s mandate.
Democracy is fundamentally about the people choosing their leaders through credible elections. It is not about political influence, financial muscle, manipulation of electoral institutions or the ability to secure favourable judicial decisions after controversial electoral outcomes.
If Nigeria must save its democracy, five major responsibilities must be taken seriously: political leadership must respect the ballot, INEC must protect the integrity of elections, the media must independently monitor the entire electoral process, security agencies must prevent violence, and citizens must defend their constitutional right to vote.
LEADERSHIP MUST COME THROUGH THE BALLOT, NOT THE COURTROOM
One of the greatest dangers confronting Nigeria’s democracy is the growing perception that political power can be obtained or retained through courtroom victories rather than the genuine support of the electorate.
Courts are indispensable institutions in every constitutional democracy. They exist to interpret the law, resolve electoral disputes, protect constitutional rights and correct illegalities. However, judicial intervention should not become a substitute for the people’s right to determine who governs them.
The ballot box must remain the primary source of democratic legitimacy.
Where an election is conducted credibly and transparently, the winner should emerge from the votes cast by the electorate. Where irregularities occur, the courts must provide justice based on credible evidence and the applicable law. But political parties and candidates must not deliberately turn elections into preliminary battles for eventual courtroom victories.
Nigerian politicians must understand that winning an election is not simply about defeating opponents. It is about earning the confidence of voters.
A candidate who genuinely believes in democracy should be prepared to campaign, persuade, mobilise and accept the people’s verdict.
Similarly, political parties must stop treating electoral victories as possessions that can be secured through control of institutions or manipulation of processes.
The 2027 elections must establish a stronger tradition in which political leadership is earned through the ballot and not through political manoeuvring after the ballot.
INEC MUST PROTECT THE SANCTITY OF EVERY VOTE
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) carries perhaps the greatest institutional responsibility in determining whether the 2027 elections will strengthen or weaken Nigeria’s democracy.
Public confidence in elections begins long before election day. It starts with voter registration, the credibility of the voters’ register, political party primaries, publication of candidates’ particulars, voter education, deployment of electoral materials and the transparency of result-management procedures.
INEC must therefore demonstrate independence, competence and impartiality at every stage.
The commission must ensure that the voters’ register is accurate, accessible and free from questionable entries. Any allegation of artificial additions, wrongful deletions, duplication or manipulation must be investigated transparently.
Technology must serve electoral credibility, not become an excuse for administrative confusion.
Where electronic accreditation, result transmission or other technological processes are deployed, Nigerians must be able to understand how they work and how failures are addressed.
INEC must also publish clear guidelines for handling technical difficulties and ensure that no political party receives preferential treatment.
Its officials must remember that they are not working for the ruling party, the opposition or any individual politician. They are working for Nigeria and its electorate.
The commission must also resist every form of political pressure, intimidation and inducement.
The credibility of the 2027 elections will depend significantly on whether Nigerians believe that their votes will count and that the announced results will genuinely reflect the votes cast.
THE MEDIA MUST FOLLOW THE VOTES BOMBER-TO-BOMBER
The Nigerian media must recognise that the 2027 elections will demand more than conventional political reporting.
The media must become the people’s independent watchdog throughout the electoral process.
By following the votes bomber-to-bomber, the media must demonstrate an uncompromising commitment to monitoring the electoral journey from the political campaign grounds to polling units, collation centres and the final announcement of results.
Journalists must not restrict their attention to presidential candidates, governors and political party spokespersons. They must also investigate what happens to ordinary voters in communities where political intimidation, vote buying and electoral violence are most likely to occur.
Every suspicious development deserves professional scrutiny.
Where politicians distribute money to influence voters, journalists should investigate and report the circumstances. Where thugs invade polling units, the media must expose the perpetrators and demand accountability. Where electoral officials behave improperly, their conduct must be documented.
Where results announced at collation centres contradict properly documented polling-unit results, journalists must investigate the discrepancy.
However, responsible journalism also requires verification. The media must not become an instrument for spreading fabricated results, unverified allegations, inflammatory statements or partisan propaganda.
The distinction between journalism and political propaganda must remain clear.
Television stations, radio broadcasters, newspapers, online publications and independent investigative journalists must work towards establishing a reliable record of the elections.
The media must also protect its independence from political funding and inducements.
An election cannot be considered transparent merely because INEC announces results. Transparency requires independent observation, credible documentation and the availability of verifiable information.
The media must therefore be prepared to report the truth, whether it favours the ruling party or the opposition.
SECURITY AGENTS MUST STOP THUGS AND PROTECT VOTERS AND VOTES
Perhaps the most immediate threat to the credibility of the 2027 elections is electoral violence.
No Nigerian should be prevented from voting because of fear of being attacked. No woman should abandon her polling unit because armed political supporters have taken over the environment. No electoral official should be threatened into changing figures. No voter should be forced to support a candidate against his or her conscience.
The responsibility for preventing these abuses rests heavily on the nation’s security agencies.
The Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other authorised security institutions must work within their respective constitutional and statutory responsibilities to protect the electoral process.
Their deployment must be professional, impartial and guided by the law.
Security personnel must protect voters, electoral officials, observers, journalists and election materials.
They must prevent political thugs from occupying polling units, disrupting accreditation, destroying ballot materials or intimidating voters.
Those who sponsor electoral violence must also be investigated and prosecuted. It is not enough to arrest the young men recruited to cause trouble while allowing their political sponsors to escape accountability.
The sponsors, financiers and organisers of electoral violence must face the consequences of their actions.
Equally important, security agencies must not become instruments of political intimidation.
Their loyalty must be to the Constitution and the Nigerian people, not to any political party or individual seeking electoral advantage.
A security officer who protects a fraudulent electoral operation is not defending democracy. Such an officer is participating in its destruction.
The 2027 elections must be safe enough for every eligible Nigerian to exercise the right to vote without fear.
POLITICAL PARTIES MUST REJECT VIOLENCE AND MANIPULATION
Political parties must understand that democracy is not a war in which opponents must be eliminated.
The ruling party must not use the advantage of incumbency to intimidate opposition parties. Opposition parties must equally reject violence, misinformation and unlawful attempts to disrupt electoral activities.
Every political party must educate its supporters to respect the electoral process.
Candidates should sign and honour credible peace agreements, but such agreements must go beyond ceremonial gatherings and press photographs.
Party leaders must publicly condemn violence committed by their supporters, regardless of political affiliation.
They must also discourage inflammatory language capable of turning political disagreements into ethnic, religious or regional hostility.
Nigeria is bigger than any political party, and no politician’s ambition is worth the destruction of national peace.
THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY AND CIVIL SOCIETY MUST REMAIN WATCHFUL
Nigeria’s democratic survival is important not only to Nigerians but also to the African continent.
As one of Africa’s largest democracies, Nigeria has a responsibility to demonstrate that political leadership can change peacefully through credible elections.
International observers, diplomatic missions, election-monitoring organisations and civil society groups must therefore maintain independent oversight of the 2027 process.
Their responsibility should include monitoring pre-election activities, identifying early warning signs, documenting violations and providing credible assessments.
However, Nigeria’s democracy must not be outsourced to foreign governments or international organisations.
The ultimate responsibility belongs to Nigerians themselves.
Civil society organisations, professional associations, religious institutions, traditional rulers, youth organisations and community leaders must promote peaceful participation and insist on electoral accountability.
2027 MUST BE ABOUT THE PEOPLE, NOT POLITICIANS
Ultimately, saving Nigeria’s democracy requires a national commitment to restoring the value of the people’s votes.
The Nigerian electorate must understand that its voting power does not begin and end on election day. Citizens must demand accountability from political parties, electoral officials, security agencies and the judiciary.
Voters must reject inducements and refuse to sell their future for temporary financial benefits.
Political leaders must understand that public office is a responsibility, not a personal entitlement.
INEC must understand that its credibility is measured by the confidence Nigerians have in its processes.
The judiciary must dispense justice without fear or favour, while remembering that electoral justice must be firmly grounded in the Constitution and credible evidence.
The media must remain vigilant, fearless and factual.
Security agencies must protect the electorate rather than intimidate it.
Above all, the 2027 elections must not become another opportunity for political desperation to overpower the constitutional rights of ordinary Nigerians.
Nigeria does not need a democracy in which the most powerful politician wins regardless of the votes cast. It needs a democracy in which the most popular candidate, established through a credible process, earns the mandate to govern.
The message to every political stakeholder is simple: Leadership must be by ballot, not by courtroom manipulation; the media must follow the votes bomber-to-bomber; and security agents must stop electoral thuggery while protecting voters, electoral officials and votes.
If these responsibilities are taken seriously, Nigeria can prevent the feared 2027 electoral calamity and strengthen its democratic institutions.
The future of Nigeria must not be determined by political thugs, compromised institutions or desperate politicians.
It must be determined by the Nigerian people through their freely expressed votes.
