“The worst part of a society manipulated by politics is to see the poor defending the rich who are responsible for their poverty.” – Paulo Coelho
Democracy dies where elections lack credibility and due process. The recent bye-elections in Nigeria, held across 12 states, 32 local government areas, 356 registration areas, and 6,987 polling units with over 3.5 million registered voters, have once again exposed the deep rot in our electoral system.
I woke up around 3 a.m. in Houston, Texas, to catch The Morning Show on Arise TV (19 August 2025) and found the APC’s Spokesperson, Mr. Felix Morka, struggling to excuse the monumental irregularities that defined the polls. It is no longer news that these elections were largely flawed. Since the APC assumed power in 2015, the credibility of our elections has progressively declined.
Many thought the 2023 elections marked the lowest point, but subsequent off-cycle polls in Imo, Kogi, Edo, and Ondo showed us otherwise. And now, with these bye-elections, INEC appears to be echoing that infamous line often attributed to Joseph Stalin: “It’s not who votes that counts, but who counts the votes.”
The murder of democracy
Outright rigging, vote-buying, mutilation of ballots, thuggery, falsification of results, and violence have become routine. Even worse, government spokespersons celebrate these travesties. When the President’s aide, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, mocked the opposition by asking, “How market?” after the flawed polls, he was not just taunting rivals—he was hammering a nail into the coffin of democracy.
You kill democracy when you allow rigging and vote-buying.
You kill democracy when you celebrate flawed elections.
You kill democracy when you stifle dissent.
You kill democracy when you excuse subterfuge and fraud.
The APC and all who defend the indefensible are guilty of this murder.
Beyond politics: The soul of a nation
This crisis goes beyond politics or partisanship. It is about the life and soul of Nigeria. We are being dragged toward Golgotha by a reckless gang of power-mongers who loot with impunity, rig without remorse, and manipulate with shameless audacity.
Everything now revolves around 2027. They steal shamelessly, inflate budgets, and waste public resources to maintain power. Ministers compete to outspend one another—billions to “renovate” projects recently refurbished at astronomical costs, trillions proposed for phantom infrastructure. From airports to bridges, from conference centres to highways, projects are criminally overpriced while the people languish in poverty.
A nation in peril
We are blessed with immense natural wealth, yet we remain one of the poorest and hungriest nations on earth. We have the highest number of out-of-school children globally, yet no trillions are allocated to education. Our health system is collapsing, yet no serious investment is made in modern medical facilities. Roads are left to rot while new ones are hurriedly awarded at inflated prices, designed only as avenues for looting.
This is not just politics—it is a national tragedy. We are a rogue state, run by rogues, gaslighting the people with empty rhetoric of “infrastructure” and “nation-building.”
The threat of a one-party state
Our civil rule is in grave danger. What looms is a one-party state, enforced by election rigging, suppression of dissent, and manipulation of the courts. We now have leaders who rig elections on Saturday, then appear in church or mosque on Sunday to give thanks, while urging aggrieved citizens to “go to court.”
This is not democracy. This is the systematic destruction of democracy.
The call to cction
Fellow Nigerians, the challenge before us is clear. We must rise beyond political divides and forge a pan-Nigerian movement to rescue our nation. This is about values, about the survival of democracy, and about the future of our children.
We cannot continue to excuse corruption and deceit. We cannot keep watching democracy die one election at a time. The power of the people is greater than the power of those in office.
Let us unite, speak truth, and act boldly—for only the truth can set us free.
God bless Nigeria.
Prof. Nwaokobia Jnr. is the Convener, CountryFirst Movement – A Good Governance Advocacy Group
