In this interview with Weekend Trust, Professor Kamilu Sani Fage, a Kano-based political scientist, warns that the proposal could tilt the playing field in favour of the ruling party, undermine democratic fairness, and expose systemic weaknesses in Nigeria’s electoral and judicial institutions.
What is your view on the National Assembly’s proposal to shift the 2027 elections to November 2026?
The idea behind the proposal is to change the timetable election period from what it used to be by six months. I think the argument they put forward is logical, the idea is that they need sufficient time so that all electoral cases will be settled before swearing in of elected people or elected leaders. I think it is a logical argument, but a wrong one.
Why is it a wrong argument?
The problem with our elections is that they are highly disputed. And the reason for the delay has to do with the way the judiciary handles electoral cases and necessarily the adjournment. That is one thing.
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Secondly, you see a court of similar jurisdiction giving a contradictory verdict on the same issue, and so many things that cause delay. Besides, there is also the issue of corruption.
So, I think even if you draw the timetable to more than a year, provided that the attitude of our politicians and the lawyers remain the same, we are going nowhere, a year will not be enough for them to settle electoral disputes. If you look at what happened in the Sakai Republic, that was what used to be. They were able to complete all electoral cases within a very short period because the law then was very stringent on the issue and there were no unnecessary delays. So, I think it is more attitudinal than anything.
What implications could this shift have on Nigeria’s electoral system?
One, it will give unnecessary advantage to the ruling party because the party that is in office will use the incumbency factorto win the election. In other words, there will be no fair level playing ground for all contestants.
Secondly, it would be a dangerous thing for the country. Imagine a situation where a ruling party fails and it remains in office for six months. Wwithin that period, it will commit all sorts of atrocities.
It will use its own power to change anything that would implicate it
Are you insinuating that there won’t be a level field for all the parties if the elections are to go as proposed?
I don’t think there will be. As I said, it will only favour the ruling party. The ruling party already controls state resources and institutions. Extending its time in office before elections only deepens the imbalance. Opposition parties will be at a clear disadvantage, and the fairness of the electoral process will be compromised.
From a broader democratic perspective does the proposal have an advantage?
No. It is not going to be anything good. If you look at the intent behind the whole idea of this change, it is in the interest of the politicians. They are making democracy as if it is the exclusive reserve for only politicians. Every Nigerian has a stake in this system. So, I think what they should do is to consider that they are representing people, and secondly, they should consider the interest of the country, not their personal interest.
So, in doing that, I think it is not going to augur well for the country, democracy and the citizens of the country.
What other reforms do you believe are necessary to improve Nigeria’s electoral process?
The whole thing is, wherever you see democracy works, there is a rule of law. What we need to do is to make rule of law prevail in Nigeria. If it does, all other things will fall in place.
Give the law powernot just on paper, so that they have the capacity to punish anybody who violates the law according to the laws of the land. Secondly, we have to fight corruption, which affects all sectors of the society, including the judiciary. If we can sanitise the judiciary and strengthen the law, we don’t need to draw the election period back.
After all, Nigerians are not the only people practicing democracy. People are practicing it all over the world. If we want democracy, let’s abide by the basic tenets of it. And one of the major tenets of democracy is rule of law.
But other democracies hold elections well before inauguration and still resolve disputes in time. Why do you think Nigeria’s case would be different?
In our own case, there is impunity. There The rules are flagrantly violated with impunity.
So unless we do that, we cannott try to copy others and succeed. Democracy is not about institution. It is also about the values.
If you keep on borrowing institutions without creating the necessary political culture for it to thrive, then democracy will just remain a sham in Nigeria.
Do you think INEC is ready for elections to beheld in November 2026?
This part of the problem. I doubt INEC will be fully prepared by the time you have this. So, they may go to the election without clearly defined rules and regulations.
And they may go without having the necessary instrument for them to operate. In other words, they would just be mere rubber stamps of what the politicians want.
How will this proposal affect opposition parties?
I say the way it will be disadvantageous to them as we are not going to have a level playing ground. So, where the coin is loaded in favor of one person, obviously the other person will be at adisadvantage. Because, under normal circumstances, we have what is known as a cynical view about incumbency factor.
If you look at our own history, except for 2015, when in our history did a ruling party lose election in Nigeria? So by the time you do that, you are now creating that situation. And that is what is going to happen.