Former Governor of Bayelsa state, Senator Seriake Dickson has sounded a warning that Nigeria’s democracy is under serious threat from persistent electoral fraud, voter apathy, and political manipulation as the 2027 general elections approach.
Dickson spoke at the fifth anniversary lecture of First Daily Newspaper, in Abuja, yesterday, where political figures, diplomats and media executives gathered to discuss the future of Nigeria’s electoral system.
The theme of the event was ‘2027: How Can We Make Our Votes Count?’
Dickson, who chaired the event, said: “Rigging of elections is the worst coup you can plan. A worse form of violation of the sovereignty of the people is when politicians, governments, security agencies, and the electoral umpire itself collude and cook election results that have no reference whatsoever to the people.
“In other words, the people don’t even vote, but votes are written and ascribed to them, and then people say go to court now. As far as I’m concerned, anyone who has carried that out has committed a coup against democracy, against the country, and against the sovereignty of the people.”
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Dickson recalled his experience as a governor in the opposition, saying: “I was a governor in an opposition and fought a lot of battles to keep my state in opposition, and I saw all of this. What the average Nigerian politician calls election planning, if we’re honest, is a conspiracy to commit crimes.”
He called on the National Assembly to strengthen the nation’s electoral laws to prevent result falsification and protect the people’s mandate.
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