This week provided a troubling portrait of Nigeria’s political panorama, as energy performs and electoral betrayals mixed to forged shadows over the nation’s democratic future.
SERAP accused President Tinubu of appointing APC loyalists into INEC, warning of a rigged 2027 election. Tinubu, undeterred, praised Nyesom Wike’s loyalty, hinting at his doable defection to the APC. In Rivers, the APC issued veiled impeachment threats to Governor Fubara.
The Senate defended its rubber-stamp picture, whereas Tinubu mocked the disorganised opposition. Most alarming, former INEC chair Attahiru Jega disclosed that professors had been bribed to govern election outcomes. Nigeria’s democracy is now dangerously adrift.
1. SERAP Urges Tinubu to Replace Alleged APC Loyalists in INEC
In a strongly worded letter dated 7 June, SERAP requested President Tinubu to reverse the appointments of a minimum of three Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) allegedly affiliated with the APC. The rights group insists that politically affiliated officers at INEC undermine its independence, violate constitutional provisions, and jeopardise the credibility of the 2027 common elections.
Why it Matters:
This is a direct problem to the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral framework. If partisan actors stay inside INEC, public belief could additional erode, deepening voter apathy. SERAP’s letter can also be a delicate indictment of Tinubu’s democratic credentials, pressuring him to show that he values institutional neutrality over political loyalty.
2. Tinubu Courts Wike, Hints at APC Membership
President Tinubu publicly joked about welcoming FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to the APC throughout a highway commissioning occasion. Wike, although formally a PDP member, has constantly aligned with the president because the 2023 elections. His newest declaration, that he’ll lead Tinubu’s re-election marketing campaign in Rivers, confirms his political loyalty to the ruling occasion.
Why it Matters:
Wike’s ambiguous political standing distorts occasion politics, normalises cross-party alliances based mostly on private curiosity, and additional weakens the opposition. Tinubu’s open arms reinforce fears of one-party dominance whereas showcasing his political pragmatism, and maybe, cynicism, towards occasion ideology.
3. APC Warns Fubara: Reconcile or Be Impeached
The Rivers APC issued a stern warning to suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara: make peace with the State Assembly or face impeachment. The state has been below federal management since March, when Tinubu imposed a controversial emergency rule amid inside strife. Though conferences recommend doable reconciliation, tensions stay excessive.
Why it Matters:
This raises constitutional alarms. The risk of impeachment below the shadow of federal intervention paints a grim image of federal overreach and state autonomy erosion. It additionally highlights how political battle is being resolved not by democratic dialogue, however threats and emergency decrees.
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4. Senate Says Rubber-Stamping is in National Interest
In response to critics, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, talking for the Senate, defended the legislature’s alignment with the chief, equating their endorsement of insurance policies to an official “rubber stamp” of legitimacy. He cited the Student Loan Bill for instance of such useful laws.
Why it Matters:
This assertion displays a disturbing redefinition of legislative independence. The metaphor of a ‘rubber stamp’ as one thing optimistic ignores the core democratic precept of checks and balances. It alerts a legislature extra involved with public notion administration than strong oversight.
5. Tinubu Mocks Opposition, Dismisses Unity Concerns
In a daring Democracy Day tackle, Tinubu overtly mocked opposition events, stating he wouldn’t advise or assist them develop into organised. While he dismissed fears of a one-party state, his feedback coincided with the continued defection of opposition figures to the APC.
Why it Matters:
Tinubu’s assertion betrays a troubling disdain for political pluralism. A wholesome democracy thrives on viable opposition. By having fun with their disarray, the president inadvertently reveals an urge for food for dominance reasonably than democratic contestation.
6. Jega Reveals Professors Were Bribed to Rig Elections
Former INEC Chair Attahiru Jega revealed that politicians frequently tried to bribe lecturers serving as returning officers. Though he insisted most resisted such gives, current convictions of professors recommend the rot could also be deeper than acknowledged.
Why it Matters:
This undermines the credibility of even the final bastions of perceived integrity, Nigeria’s tutorial elite. If elections may be rigged by the complicity of professors, then electoral corruption is systemic, not incidental. It casts an extended shadow over previous outcomes and future prospects.
Conclusion: The Illusion of Democracy
This week’s occasions expose a jarring reality: Nigeria’s democracy is more and more performative. From partisan electoral officers and a rubber-stamp legislature to opposition co-optation and federal strong-arming of states, the establishments meant to guard democracy at the moment are devices of political consolidation.
Tinubu’s open laughter at a fractured opposition, Wike’s fluid political identification, and Jega’s revelations all trace at a rustic shedding its democratic soul, not instantly, however intentionally. The query stays: are Nigerians nonetheless individuals in democracy or simply spectators of its unravelling?
