Editorial: Towards an Enduring Democracy in Nigeria

As Nigerians commemorate another June 12, 2025 Democracy Day, we are reminded of a date that has come to symbolise the highest ideals of democratic governance: free choice, accountability, justice, and unity.  But painfully, those ideals are now under siege. The distance between the promise of June 12, 1993, and the reality of Nigeria’s current democratic experience is increasingly wide—and dangerously so.

The historic June 12, 1993 presidential election was a defining moment in Nigeria’s democratic evolution. It was a day when Nigerians, across ethnic and religious divides, overwhelmingly voted for Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (M.K.O.) Abiola in an election deemed the freest and fairest in the nation’s history. 

No wonder, President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018, under the Fourth Republic, declared June 12 as the new date for celebration of Democracy Day.  It was the day Nigerians declared, loudly and clearly, that they wanted democracy. But instead of heralding a new era, that mandate was tragically annulled by the military, plunging the country into years of repression and struggle. 

Today, the challenge facing Nigeria’s democracy is no longer military jackboots but civilian impunity, institutional decay, and a growing erosion of public trust in the electoral process. 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), saddled with the constitutional responsibility of conducting credible elections, has in recent years faltered significantly. The 2023 general elections, for example, were marred by massive irregularities. INEC’s much-promised technological innovations failed to prevent vote manipulation or ensure transparency.  Polling units in several states, including Lagos, Rivers, and Kogi, witnessed violence, ballot box snatching, and intimidation of voters—often in full view of security operatives who stood by or were complicit.

In a particularly harrowing incident, a female voter, Jennifer Efedi, was viciously attacked in Lagos while exercising her franchise. Her bloodied face became an iconic image of the brutalisation of the electorate. Elsewhere, at least 21 Nigerians reportedly lost their lives in election-related violence during the 2023 polls alone. Elections—meant to be the peaceful expression of the people’s will—have become dangerous, and at times, fatal endeavors.

This culture of fear and violence has inevitably led to massive voter apathy. Despite having over 93 million registered voters in 2023, only about 27% turned out to vote. This alarming figure reflects a growing belief among citizens that their votes do not count, that outcomes are predetermined, and that power is not conferred by the people, but by manipulation, violence, and money.

Sadly, the judiciary, once hailed as the last hope of the common man, now appears complicit in deepening this democratic malaise. Increasingly, judicial decisions on electoral matters seem more influenced by legal technicalities than by the pursuit of justice. Some judgments have upturned clearly-won mandates and imposed candidates rejected at the polls, reinforcing the growing sentiment that elections are no longer decided by ballots, but in courtrooms. 

When courts become the final arbiters of electoral contests not through fairness, but favoritism, the moral foundation of democracy is fundamentally weakened. Public confidence in the judiciary is waning, and that, in turn, erodes faith in the democratic process itself.

For Nigeria to achieve an enduring democracy, cosmetic gestures and empty rhetoric must give way to bold, structural reforms.

 INEC must be fundamentally restructured and insulated from political interference. Its staff must be professional, its processes transparent, and its technologies reliable. Security agencies must be held to account for their roles before, during, and after elections. The protection of voters must be sacrosanct—anyone who seeks to influence elections through violence must be prosecuted swiftly and decisively. 

Equally, the judiciary must undergo a moral and institutional overhaul. Judges handling electoral matters must be above suspicion, and electoral tribunals must prioritize substantial justice over legalese. The National Judicial Council (NJC) must be vigilant in rooting out corruption and restoring public faith in the bench. 

Political parties must also embrace internal democracy. The imposition of candidates, god-fatherism, and vote-buying at the party level must be tackled head-on. Unless parties are democratic internally, the larger electoral process cannot be expected to be.

Finally, Nigerians must be educated and reoriented to value their votes and defend their democracy. Civil society, media, youth, and religious institutions have a critical role to play in rekindling political consciousness and activism.

Democracy, as June 12 reminds us, is not a gift—it is a responsibility. It thrives only when the will of the people is respected, and when institutions function without fear or favor. If the blood of those who paid the price for freedom—Abiola included—is not to be in vain, we must all commit to the rebirth of a system that serves the people, not just the powerful.

As we mark June 12, let it not just be a public holiday filled with platitudes. Let it be a day of national reckoning—a time to acknowledge our failings and recommit to the ideals that once brought millions to the ballot box with hope. That hope can live again. But only if we are willing to fight for it.