From Ifeoma Ejiofor
Civil society advocate, Dr. Jude Ohanele has called for urgent reforms to rescue the credibility of elections and rebuild public trust in governance.
Speaking on the state of democracy in the country, Ohanele urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take immediate steps by forwarding an amendment to the 2026 Electoral Act to the National Assembly.
At the heart of his demand is the full legalization of real-time electronic transmission of election results from polling units—a move he believes is critical to safeguarding the true will of the people.
Ohanele, who serves as Programme Director at Development Dynamics, argued that Nigeria’s democratic framework is deeply flawed, describing it as an “electoral dictatorship”—a system where elections occur but fail to produce outcomes that genuinely reflect citizens’ choices.
According to him, democracy goes beyond periodic voting; it requires transparent processes, accountability, and collective commitment from all sectors of society.
“So we pretend to conduct elections every four years. The elections have no impact because the processes leading to credible elections are absent, and the results essentially do not reflect the wishes of the people. “So, we are running an electoral dictatorship here in Nigeria,” he said.
He stressed that political actors, institutions, civil society, the media, and citizens must all uphold democratic principles if meaningful progress is to be achieved. “Well, my position is that it takes everybody in the society to build a democracy,”
A major concern he highlighted is the collapse of internal party democracy. “Flawed primary elections often produce candidates who do not emerge through credible processes, laying the groundwork for wider electoral malpractice.
He also pointed to the handling of election results as a critical weak link. “The optional provision for electronic transmission in the current Electoral Act creates loopholes that enable manipulation.
“Once results are not transmitted instantly from polling units, the integrity of the entire process becomes vulnerable—especially during collation, where alterations frequently occur.”
For the civil society activist, the solution is the enforcement of mandatory real-time electronic transmission. “This would ensure that results are secured immediately, reducing opportunities for tampering and allowing citizens to independently verify outcomes.”
Despite the challenges, he expressed optimism that reform is still within reach. With sufficient political will. “If the President is willing, legislative amendments could be expedited within days.”
“I strongly appeal to President Tinubu to send the Act back to the National Assembly for amendment to allow real time electronic transmission.
“That’s the only proof against electoral fraud and it will restore public confidence in the process.”
Ultimately, Ohanele framed the issue as a defining test for Nigeria’s democracy. “Without credible elections, governance will continue to drift away from the people’s mandate.
“But with decisive action—starting with electoral transparency—Nigeria can begin to reclaim the true essence of democratic rule,” he concluded.