Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has challenged President Bola Tinubu’s administration to undertake sweeping electoral and judicial reforms ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The former presidential candidate insists that only such measures can restore public confidence in Nigeria’s democracy.
In a statement on Thursday, Atiku commended Nigerians for their participation in the ongoing Permanent Voter Card (PVC) registration exercise but warned that credible elections cannot be guaranteed unless far-reaching changes are introduced. He noted that voter turnout in the 2023 elections was the lowest since 1999, with just 24.9 million of over 93 million registered voters casting their ballots.
Atiku expressed concern that the integrity of the ballot is being eroded, arguing that the current system leaves too much room for manipulation. He cited the increasing trend, highlighted in Prof. Chidi Odinkalu’s book The Selectorate, where judges, rather than voters, ultimately decide electoral outcomes.
The former vice president, therefore, demanded a return to strict adherence to technology-driven processes in accreditation, transmission, and collation of results. He insisted that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) must be used without discretion, that election results at all levels be transmitted electronically, and that manual processes be completely eliminated. He also called for the appointment of electoral officials, including the INEC Chairman and Commissioners, to be subjected to democratic scrutiny rather than executive fiat, while stressing that the burden of proof in election petitions must rest on INEC to demonstrate compliance with the law.
According to Atiku, implementing these reforms would ensure transparency, reduce the influence of vested interests, and return electoral power to the people.
