Sam Amadi, the director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, says Nigeria urgently requires credible, free, and fair elections in 2027, more than it needs any individual leader.

Mr Amadi said this on Tuesday in Abuja during a policy dialogue convened by the Abuja School to review its draft document, ‘Nigeria 2027 Election Integrity, Citizen Participation, and Democratic Resilience Strategy’.

He warned that if Nigeria failed to secure the integrity of its electoral process in the 2027 general elections, it could worsen the existing challenges facing the country. According to Mr Amadi, the electoral system had been identified as one of four critical structural vulnerabilities currently threatening national stability.

“Nigeria needs free and fair elections more than Nigeria needs any particular leader at this point. If Nigeria fails to have a free and fair election, Nigeria will suffer dearly, because the level of consequences that is already building up is too much. A rigged election in 2027 could be the trigger for a very devastating outcome for the country,’’ Mr Amadi said.

The former chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission added that fixing the electoral framework was the primary prerequisite for resolving broader national challenges, including economic stagnation, insecurity, and poverty.

“If Nigeria fixes elections, they can fix poverty. They can fix conflict. They can fix other things,” Mr Amadi said. “But if Nigeria doesn’t fix elections, there is no chance they will fix these other things, because you need a basic stable state to develop the economy and enterprise.”

He maintained that restoration of public trust in democratic processes was essential to restoring stability and addressing issues of banditry, kidnapping, and terrorism in the country.

He called for an “elections-first” approach, emphasising that democratic legitimacy depended on the process rather than the specific winner.

“We need to have a system where people can, at least, vote. We are happy; let’s see what these guys can do. I’m an apostle of election first, winner second. Fix the election, make it free and fair first. Then whoever wins in a free and fair election is good enough. That’s what democracy is all about,’’ Mr Amadi explained. 

(NAN)