This week provided a troubling portrait of Nigeria’s political panorama, as energy performs and electoral betrayals mixed to solid 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 potential 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 Exchange Alleged APC Loyalists in INEC
In a strongly worded letter dated 7 June, SERAP requested President Tinubu to reverse the appointments of at the very least 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 Issues:
It 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 refined 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 street commissioning occasion. Wike, although formally a PDP member, has persistently aligned with the president for the reason that 2023 elections. His newest declaration, that he’ll lead Tinubu’s re-election marketing campaign in Rivers, confirms his political loyalty to the ruling get together.
Why it Issues:
Wike’s ambiguous political standing distorts get together politics, normalises cross-party alliances primarily based 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 get together 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 Meeting or face impeachment. The state has been beneath federal management since March, when Tinubu imposed a controversial emergency rule amid inner strife. Although conferences counsel potential reconciliation, tensions stay excessive.
Why it Issues:
This raises constitutional alarms. The specter of impeachment beneath 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 means of democratic dialogue, however threats and emergency decrees.
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4. Senate Says Rubber-Stamping is in Nationwide Curiosity
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 Scholar Mortgage Invoice for instance of such useful laws.
Why it Issues:
This assertion displays a disturbing redefinition of legislative independence. The metaphor of a ‘rubber stamp’ as one thing constructive ignores the core democratic precept of checks and balances. It indicators a legislature extra involved with public notion administration than strong oversight.
5. Tinubu Mocks Opposition, Dismisses Unity Issues
In a daring Democracy Day deal with, Tinubu brazenly mocked opposition events, stating he wouldn’t advise or assist them turn into organised. Whereas he dismissed fears of a one-party state, his feedback coincided with the continued defection of opposition figures to the APC.
Why it Issues:
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 quite than democratic contestation.
6. Jega Reveals Professors Have been Bribed to Rig Elections
Former INEC Chair Attahiru Jega revealed that politicians frequently tried to bribe lecturers serving as returning officers. Although he insisted most resisted such provides, current convictions of professors counsel the rot could also be deeper than acknowledged.
Why it Issues:
This undermines the credibility of even the final bastions of perceived integrity, Nigeria’s educational elite. If elections may be rigged by means of the complicity of professors, then electoral corruption is systemic, not incidental. It casts an extended shadow over previous outcomes and future prospects.
Conclusion: The Phantasm 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 are actually devices of political consolidation.
Tinubu’s open laughter at a fractured opposition, Wike’s fluid political id, and Jega’s revelations all trace at a rustic dropping its democratic soul, not abruptly, however intentionally. The query stays: are Nigerians nonetheless individuals in democracy or simply spectators of its unravelling?
