By Muhammad Mamman
The Director of Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, Sam Amadi, has warned that Nigeria’s democratic practice could deteriorate further by 2027.
Amadi spoke on Tuesday during an appearance on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’ programme, where he expressed concern over the current state of political institutions.
According to him, the structure of political parties in Nigeria lacks internal democracy, a development he described as both structural and normative.
“In 2027, we are going to have worse democracy than it currently is. The key point is that the Nigerian party system doesn’t have internal democracy,” he said.
He also criticised the judiciary, describing it as a “hopeless case”, while alleging that provisions in the Electoral Act attempted to limit judicial review.
“If you look back and see the judiciary, you know, it’s like a hopeless case. The Electoral Acts try to exclude judicial review. Even when judicial review is on, it’s neither here nor there,” Amadi added.
Meanwhile, the political analyst cautioned Nigerians against placing excessive confidence in the deployment of technology by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Speaking at the Citizens Town Hall Meeting on the Electoral Act 2026 held in Abuja on Sunday, Amadi called for the establishment of a bipartisan audit commission to review the electoral body’s technological systems.
“We finished the 2023 election with so much allegations, so much issues. The National Assembly did not conduct one public hearing; nobody was put on oath… to tell us what happened. That is shambolic,” he said.
He concluded by insisting that Nigerians should remain cautious about relying on INEC’s technological processes ahead of future elections.
