As Nigeria edges closer to the 2027 general elections, former governors Henry Seriake Dickson and Rotimi Amaechi have sounded a strong warning to political leaders stop the rigging and manipulation that threaten the nation’s democracy.

Speaking at the fifth-anniversary lecture of First Daily newspaper in Abuja, themed “2027: How Can We Make Our Votes Count?”, both leaders expressed deep concern over rising voter apathy and electoral malpractice, describing them as direct attacks on the people’s sovereignty.

Senator Dickson, who chaired the event, condemned election fraud, calling it a “coup against democracy.” According to him, any election that fails to reflect the true will of the people undermines the foundation of Nigeria’s democratic system.

“We still have a long way to go in defending the sovereignty that the Constitution vests in the people. Rigging elections is the worst kind of coup,” he declared.

The former Bayelsa governor decried the persistent collusion between politicians, security operatives, and electoral officials to falsify results, stressing that such acts deny citizens their right to freely choose their leaders. “When votes are manipulated to produce outcomes that do not match the people’s choice, it’s nothing short of a coup against democracy,” he added.

Drawing from his personal experience with electoral manipulation, Dickson urged the National Assembly to strengthen the Electoral Act to make vote rigging nearly impossible and to rebuild public confidence in Nigeria’s voting system.

On his part, former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, said meaningful electoral reform cannot come from those currently in power. “No incumbent government will ever reform the system that brought it to power. We tried, and we failed,” he said.

Amaechi accused both ruling and opposition politicians of prioritizing personal interests over national progress. “The opposition isn’t even discussing how to save Nigeria. Everyone is chasing power, not solutions,” he lamented.

He also warned that the growing trend of voter apathy makes it easier for elections to be manipulated. “The real power lies with the people. When citizens believe the results are already written and stay home, they hand victory to the incumbents,” Amaechi explained.

Delivering the keynote address, Dr. Sam Amadi, Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, said corruption and political capture have hollowed out Nigeria’s democracy. “Every institution managing elections is tied to those in power. When elections are criminalized, only criminals can win,” he quoted development expert Paul Collier.

Amadi called for civic awareness, transparency, and full public oversight of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to restore faith in the process before 2027.

In his closing remarks, First Daily publisher Daniel Markson lamented that decades of flawed elections have crippled leadership in Nigeria. “We’ve failed ourselves. I’m 55, and I can’t recall a time when this country truly worked for me,” he said, pledging a nationwide voter awareness campaign next year to inspire citizens to participate in the coming elections.