The fallout from the February 21 FCT Area Council elections has taken a legal turn as Jibrin Samuel Okutepa SAN warns that Nigeria’s democracy is in “serious danger.”
The founder of J.S. Okutepa SAN & Company did not mince words in his assessment of the local polls, labelling the process a “sabotage” of the will of the people. His concerns center on what he describes as a “predetermined” outcome facilitated by manual loopholes and administrative interference.
The Senior Advocate’s critique focused heavily on the EC8A forms—the primary evidence of results at the polling unit level. According to Okutepa, the visible alterations and manipulations on these forms make the current system unsustainable.
“We cannot continue with manual collation if we want to save our democracy,” he argued, insisting that digital transformation is the only way to restore voter confidence.
Beyond the electoral body, Okutepa also placed blame on a “divided” opposition, suggesting that their inability to present a united front has allowed electoral malpractices to go largely unchecked. As the nation looks toward 2027, Okutepa’s message is clear: reform the system now, or prepare for a total collapse of electoral integrity.
