As the 2027 general elections approach, former governors of Bayelsa and Rivers states, Senator Seriake Dickson and Rotimi Amaechi, have cautioned that electoral fraud, voter indifference, and political manipulation are the worst kind of coup and pose a serious threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
The two leaders were present at the First Daily Newspaper’s fifth anniversary lecture on Monday in Abuja. “2027: How Can We Make Our Votes Count?” was the theme of the gathering, which was attended by media executives, lawmakers, and diplomats.
Election rigging, according to the event’s chairman, Governor Dickson, is the “worst coup” against the people’s sovereignty and threatens democracy more than any other act.
“Rigging of elections is the worst coup you can plan. When politicians, government officials, security agencies, and the electoral umpire collude to manipulate results, they violate the sovereignty of the people,” Dickson said.
He called on the National Assembly to reform election regulations in order to protect the people’s mandate, adding that declaring results that were not based on genuine votes or fabricating results amounted to “a coup against democracy and the country.”
Speaking as well, former Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi claimed that Nigeria’s election reforms had continuously failed because the country’s current governments lacked the political will to carry them out.
“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,” Amaechi stated.
He warned that voter indifference was making electoral fraud easier to maintain and blamed weak opposition parties and powerful political interests for the system’s ongoing manipulation.
Also speaking, Dr. Sam Amadi, Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, gave the keynote lecture and stated that Nigeria’s elections would continue to be faulty as long as people in charge had political ties to the ruling class.
“Everyone who has something to do with the management of elections is connected to the president,” Amadi said, adding that the lack of neutrality had turned elections into contests of influence rather than the will of the people.
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