Elections in Nigeria, Africa Are Mere Staged Events – Ex-INEC REC, Igini
...Says If Democracy Dies in the Country, It'll Be Because of Lawyers, Judges
Former Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mike Igini, has described elections in Nigeria and across Africa as mere staged events, arguing that periodic polls alone cannot sustain democracy on the continent.
Igini stated that the essence of democracy was to promote participation and accountability in the process of human development, stressing that the conduct of periodic elections through political parties and oversight by the judiciary was not sufficient to consolidate democracy.
He made the remarks while speaking during a panel session at the 2026 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Democracy Dialogue in Bauchi State on Tuesday.
Igini pointed out that Nigeria and other African countries had continued to hold elections without meeting the expectations of citizens, noting that elections held every four years were not enough to sustain democracy.
“Citizens need service delivery, accountability, and transparency. These have been lacking,” he said.
Igini asserted that elections in Africa and Nigeria had increasingly become “mere stage events” in which local and international observers were invited to witness what he described as orchestrated rituals in the name of elections.
He argued that political parties in Nigeria and across Africa had largely ceased to function as ideological platforms for aggregating societal interests, but had instead become vehicles used by elites to capture political power and gain access to state resources.
He noted that the situation had undermined the ability of democracy to deliver meaningful benefits to ordinary citizens, emphasising that democracy had worked more for the elites than for the people.
Igini called for the rebuilding of political parties as institutions, saying this would require people with strong democratic values and a commitment to internal democracy.
He also criticised the judiciary for failing to adequately defend democracy and the rule of law, describing it as a critical institution in the survival and consolidation of democracy.
“If democracy will die in Nigeria, it will die because of we lawyers and our colleagues on the bench,” he said, adding that the remains of democracy would be placed at the doorstep of the judiciary.
The former REC also stressed the need to strengthen the independence of election management bodies across Africa, particularly the INEC in Nigeria.
According to him, political office holders derive their arrogance from their ability to control election management bodies, arguing that reducing such political influence would help restore credibility to the electoral process.
While recounting his experience presiding over elections in seven states, Igini recalled instances where politicians attempted to manipulate electoral outcomes through academics and other officials.
He maintained that credible elections could not be guaranteed unless electoral laws, regulations and guidelines were strictly enforced and election management bodies were allowed to operate independently.
