1. Introduction
A closer examination of our polity will reveal that Nigeria stands at democracy’s precarious crossroads. It’s been 27 years since the 1999 Constitution heralded civilian rule and vested sovereignty in the people, yet trust in the electoral process continues to erode perilously. The 2023 general elections claimed 89 lives amid violence, recorded a dismal 27 per cent voter turnout, the lowest since 1999 and left INEC, the electoral management body’s credibility shattered, as reported in the 2023 EU Election Observation Mission’s Final Report. Vote-buying infected 40 per cent of voters according to Yiaga Africa’s Nigeria Election Parallel Vote Tabulation and Incident Report 2023, while Presidential Election Petition Tribunals delayed 12 months beyond the 180-day constitutional limit under section 285(6) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, according to INEC, 2023 General Elections Tribunal Report (2024), constituting grave constitutional infractions.
Democracy in Nigeria has endured since 1999. That, in itself, is no small achievement. But let us be honest: endurance is not the same as excellence, and continuity is not the same as credibility. A democracy is not measured merely by how often it holds elections, but by how deeply its people trust the outcomes of those elections. Thus, the real question before us this morning is not whether Nigeria is democratic. It is far more searching: Are we safeguarding the democratic process, or merely managing its appearance? Because when the process loses credibility, democracy does not collapse overnight; it erodes. Slowly. Quietly. Almost imperceptibly. Until one day, participation becomes routine, but belief has already left the room.
