KEY POINTS
- Tambuwal says Nigeria elections not decided by voters alone.
- He cites collation stage manipulation as a major weakness.
- Former governor backs electronic transmission reforms.
Former Sokoto State Governor and ex-Speaker of the House of Representatives Aminu Tambuwal said Nigeria’s elections are not fully determined by voters, pointing to weaknesses in the electoral process that allow results to be altered during collation.
Tambuwal made the remarks on Monday during an interview, a political programme on Arise Television. While acknowledging voter participation, he said the integrity of outcomes frequently breaks down after ballots are cast.
“Elections are not completely decided by electorates. I can say that without mincing words,” Tambuwal said. According to him, discrepancies often emerge at different stages of result collation, from polling units to national aggregation.
Nigeria elections not decided by voters
Tambuwal said manipulation typically occurs during collation and transmission of results, where politicians exploit procedural loopholes. He argued that outcomes announced at higher levels sometimes fail to reflect votes recorded at polling units.
“We know that at collation level polling unit, ward, local government, state or even national things happen that misrepresent what voters actually voted for,” he said.
He also accused some officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission of compromising elections, saying institutional weaknesses make interference easier. Tambuwal did not cite specific cases but said the pattern has persisted across election cycles.
Despite the criticism, he expressed support for reforms aimed at improving transparency and credibility, including the electronic transmission of results. Such measures, he said, could reduce human interference and restore confidence in the process.
“I wholeheartedly support any reform that will improve the electoral process in Nigeria, including electronic transmission,” Tambuwal said.
Nigeria elections not decided by voters
Tambuwal also questioned the ideological foundations of Nigeria’s political parties, arguing that most function as platforms for winning power rather than vehicles for coherent ideas.
“If it’s about ideology, what was President Muhammadu Buhari doing in the APC with some characters in the party?” he asked, suggesting that political alliances often cut across ideological lines.
He said the same pattern exists in newer coalitions, including the African Democratic Congress, where politicians with conflicting views coexist for electoral advantage rather than shared principles.
Tambuwal’s comments add to a broader debate over electoral reform in Nigeria, where disputes over results, voter confidence and the role of technology continue to shape political discourse ahead of future polls.
