Former Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mike Igini, has said the 2027 election will be more than a test for Nigeria’s democracy.
Naija News reports that Igini, speaking on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, said many public institutions, including the INEC, its officials and the judiciary, will be judged.
Igini also said most people in public office today should be in prison, lamenting that Nigeria is now ruled by individuals rather than the rule of law because the laws are no longer enforced.
He raised alarm over Section 97 of the Electoral Act, which says a candidate shall not be compelled to support any political party, saying the law is being violated daily.
He said, “The 2027 general elections will be more than a test. INEC will be judged, and officials [and] judiciary will be judged. More importantly, the politicians who are seeking political office will be judged. Most of the characters you see today in public offices are supposed to be candidates for prison.
“They want to end Nigeria. They are putting out light on democracy. Where were they when we were fighting for democracy in this country?”
Igini also alleged that politicians have infiltrated the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) lists to rig elections by inserting fake corps members as ad hoc staff.
He added that if Nigeria cannot fix its politics, it can never fix its economy, because development is embedded in political processes.
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