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Summary: Former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, has decried the state of Nigeria’s declining democracy, warning that governance continues to fail due to voters’ distrust, monopolistic politics, and judicial interference.
Former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, has decried the state of Nigeria’s declining democracy, warning that governance continues to fail due to voters’ distrust, monopolistic politics, and judicial interference. She said this during an emergency stakeholders’ meeting held on Monday, May 25, 2026, at the NICON Luxury Hotel in Abuja, Nigeria.
Ahead of the 2027 general election, the Movement for Credible Elections (MCE) organised emergency stakeholders with the theme: “Actualising Credible 2027 Elections in Nigeria” to address the growing deterioration of Nigeria’s democracy and threats to the 2027 election. The meeting brought together opposition leaders, civil society groups, and labour unions.
In her address, the former Minister of Education noted that the country’s democracy has collapsed, saying, “It is quite evident that, years into our democracy, it has degraded into a shambles in all the indicators that define functional democracies. Our democracy, since 1999, has steadily lost the confidence of citizens, but at no time has it been this bad.”
She pointed out that voter turnout has sharply declined, with the 2023 presidential election recording a dismal 23% participation rate, falling far below the African average. She strongly criticised the increasing harassment of dissenting voices and opposition citizens, warning that muffling free speech poses a direct threat to national stability.
“If Nigerians don’t want to be slaves to a political class that has no distinction whatsoever, then we must act together and insist that democracy belongs to us. Nigerians are saying that when you collect the votes at the stations, the form EC8A must be uploaded in real time,” Dr Oby added.
