Human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, has warned that any coalition of opposition parties will ultimately be meaningless if Nigerians themselves fail to actively push for systemic reforms
“Every coalition of opposition will work in vain if the people fail to demand electoral reforms. The system is rigged ab initio,” Farotimi said during an appearance on Channels Television’s State of the Nation program.
Farotimi expressed deep skepticism over the willingness of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government to pursue meaningful electoral changes, alleging that the current administration is a major beneficiary of electoral manipulation.
“I think it will be not only simplistic but exceedingly foolish to expect the APC government of Bola Ahmed Tinubu to show interest in electoral reform that would bring transparency to the process. This is a government that benefited from an electoral hijack,” he stated.
Drawing from personal experience, Farotimi recounted his involvement in the 2023 election as an observer tasked with collecting Form EC8A from INEC in Lagos State. According to him, not a single form could be retrieved.
“The then INEC commissioner in Lagos State could not produce a single Form EC8A. The entire result in Lagos State was a fraud,” he alleged.
Farotimi stressed that Nigerians have both the right and responsibility to demand credible elections, even if it means taking to the streets peacefully.
“Power is not served; you grab it, snatch it, and you run with it. But it is the right of citizens to be given the power to vote and decide who governs them,” he said.
For Farotimi, electoral reform is not just a political issue—it’s a moral imperative. He urged citizens to continue making their demands clearly and persistently.
“We should be making that demand very clearly,” he emphasized, adding that the people remain the biggest victims of electoral malpractice and abuse of power.
His remarks come amid increasing public pressure on the government and electoral bodies to fix long-standing flaws in Nigeria’s voting system ahead of future elections.
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