The Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, Sam Amadi, has warned that the declining credibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, could push Nigeria into electoral violence.
Amadi, who stated this on Friday in an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’, said nobody can conduct a credible election when the electoral body no longer enjoys public trust.
He said after the controversies that followed the 2023 elections, Nigerians expected the INEC Chairman to make rebuilding public confidence his number one priority.
Instead, he said, INEC’s actions in the last six months appear to have damaged its credibility even further.
“Nigeria is sitting on a time bomb. This is dangerous for Nigeria because when citizens lose faith in the electoral process, they may resort to self-help, with potentially violent consequences,” Amadi said.
The former Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, said the danger is not just about who wins or loses in 2027 but that millions of voters may no longer believe that their votes will count.
According to him, when people stop believing in the ballot, they start looking for other ways to defend their votes, and that is where violence begins.
Amadi said INEC needs to urgently rebuild trust by being open, transparent and consistent in its decisions, especially on voter registration, result transmission and handling of complaints.
He warned that if the commission goes into the 2027 elections with its current level of distrust, no amount of security deployment will be able to calm angry voters.