The Movement for Credible Elections (MCE) has warned that Nigeria’s democracy faces serious threats ahead of the 2027 general elections, alleging attempts to manipulate electoral laws and weaken public confidence in the electoral process.
Speaking at a briefing in Lagos on Sunday, the group’s leadership, led by Professor Pat Utomi, expressed concern over what it described as growing constitutional violations and declining electoral participation.
Addressing journalists, Utomi said recent developments surrounding the 2026 Electoral Act and actions by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) suggested a “reckless desperation” by those in power, warning that continued interference could erode the legitimacy of the Nigerian state.
According to the group, voter turnout trends indicate deepening public disillusionment with the electoral system, citing recent elections in Abuja where participation allegedly fell below 10 per cent of registered voters. The organisation cautioned that persistent voter apathy could trigger social instability if citizens lose faith in democratic processes.
The MCE accused electoral authorities of acting in alignment with the ruling establishment and interfering in the internal affairs of political parties, a move it argued undermines constitutional guarantees of freedom of association.
Despite expressing scepticism about institutional independence, the group said it would pursue legal redress while also mobilising civic resistance through non-violent means to defend democratic norms.
As part of its proposed interventions ahead of the 2027 elections, the organisation unveiled an eight-point action plan aimed at promoting transparency and safeguarding electoral credibility.
Among the initiatives is a plan to collaborate with civil society organisations to establish independent election result viewing portals where party agents would upload photographed copies of polling unit result sheets (Form EC8A) immediately after signing, enabling real-time monitoring by local and international media.
The group also announced plans to recruit and train “vote marshals,” comprising retired military and police personnel, to be deployed nationwide during elections to help monitor polling processes.
Other measures include large-scale voter education campaigns to combat voter apathy, engagement with religious and non-governmental organisations to promote electoral accountability, and collaboration with academia and the media to scrutinise proposed amendments to electoral laws.
The MCE further called on Nigerians in the diaspora to draw global attention to developments in the country’s political environment, warning that actions perceived as anti-democratic could damage Nigeria’s international standing.
In addition, the organisation appealed to elder statesmen, former national leaders, and traditional rulers to intervene and help preserve political stability and democratic conventions.
The group demanded an immediate review of what it described as “doctored” electoral legislation, urging electoral authorities to return to transparency or consider resignation if public confidence cannot be restored.
The MCE compared current political tensions to Nigeria’s military era, warning that rising corruption, divisive rhetoric, and political intolerance could endanger national cohesion if not addressed.
“The people must stand up now to save the future for their children,” Utomi said, calling for active but peaceful civic engagement to safeguard democracy.
He said: “It is a troubling spectre to watch a people who forget so quickly. We, who survived assassination attempts that are documented in court records, lament that the conditions of social freedom were brighter in those dark days than in this present darkness, on the watch of men who had to flee the country to escape Abacha. Is history repeating itself? Have we learnt nothing?
“It has been traumatic for us to see corruption rising beyond what it was in Abacha’s time when, with crude oil at $9 a barrel, the people had a better living standard than they have today.
“It is even more disheartening that the democracy some of us put our lives on the line for is as threatened today as it was then, when our judiciary had more men with the spine for justice and truth than is the case today.”
