Former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, on Monday decried the persistent desperation of Nigerian politicians, warning that their “do-or-die” attitude continues to undermine the integrity of elections and threaten democratic development.
He raised the concerns in Abuja while delivering a keynote address at the joint graduation ceremony of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies and the University of Benin.
Jega, a professor of Political Science at the Bayero University in Kano, lamented that despite 25 years of uninterrupted democracy since 1999, Nigeria still struggles with electoral malpractice, violence, and widespread distrust in the electoral system.
“When we see the desperation of these politicians, it is very clear, as former President Obasanjo said, that they engage with elections with a ‘do-or-die’ mentality. We must win by whatever means are necessary,” he said.
According to the former INEC boss, such attitudes have eroded public confidence in the democratic process, leaving the country “literally muddling through democratic development” since the return to civilian rule.
“No elections are perfect and none are likely to ever be,” he admitted, stressing that electoral integrity “is relative and measured as a continuum from the extreme worst-case scenario to the ideal best-case scenario.”
Jega noted that Nigeria’s political landscape has for decades been tainted by the pursuit of power at all costs, adding that fixing the country’s electoral process would require “continuous concerted efforts”.
“The credibility of elections has a direct correlation with the quality of representation and governance,” he added.
Also speaking at the event, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin, Prof. Edoba Omoregie, commended President Bola Tinubu for the introduction of the student loan scheme.
Omoregie described it as a policy that has “minimised education barriers” and provided relief to financially challenged students.
“The establishment of student loan, therefore, has minimised education barriers. It is the reason Nigerian students, no matter their economic status or that of their parents and guardians, can access funding for their tertiary education in public universities with ease,” Omoregie said.
The vice-chancellor lauded the graduating class of NILDS/UNIBEN programmes—comprising 46 Master’s, 19 Higher National Diploma, and nine Postgraduate Diploma recipients—for their resilience and dedication, describing the event as “historic” and a testament to academic excellence.
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