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By Emmanuel Oloniruha<\/p>\n
Abuja<\/p>\n
Dr Sam Amadi, Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, says Nigeria urgently requires credible, free, and fair elections in 2027, more than it needs any individual leader.<\/p>\n
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Amadi said this on Tuesday in Abuja during a policy dialogue convened by the Abuja School to review its draft document; \u201cNigeria 2027 Election Integrity, Citizen Participation, and Democratic Resilience Strategy.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
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He warned that if Nigeria failed to secure the integrity of her electoral process in 2027 general elections, it could worsen the existing challenges facing the country.<\/p>\n
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According to Amadi, the electoral system had been identified as one of four critical structural vulnerabilities currently threatening national stability.<\/p>\n
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\u201cNigeria needs free and fair elections more than Nigeria needs any particular leader at this point.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIf Nigeria fails to have a free and fair election, Nigeria will suffer dearly, because the level of consequences that is already building up is too much.<\/p>\n
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\u201c A rigged election in 2027 could be the trigger for a very devastating outcome for the country,\u2019\u2019 Amadi said.<\/p>\n
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The former Chairman, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), added that fixing the electoral framework was the primary prerequisite for resolving broader national challenges, including economic stagnation, insecurity, and poverty.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIf Nigeria fixes elections, they can fix poverty, they can fix conflict, they can fix other things,\u201d Amadi said.<\/p>\n
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\u201cBut if Nigeria doesn\u2019t fix elections, there is no chance they will fix these other things, because you need a basic stable state to develop the economy and enterprise,\u201d Amadi said.<\/p>\n
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He maintained that restoration of public trust in democratic processes was essential to restoring stability and addressing issues of banditry, kidnapping, and terrorism in the country.<\/p>\n
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He called for an \u201celections-first\u201d approach, emphasing that democratic legitimacy depended on the process rather than the specific winner.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe need to have a system where people can, at least, voted, we are happy; let\u2019s see what these guys can do.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI\u2019m an apostle of election first, winner second. Fix the election, make it free and fair first. Then whoever wins in a free and fair election is good enough. That\u2019s what democracy is all about,\u2019\u2019 Amadi said.<\/p>\n
www.primerisenews.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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