Aminu Tambuwal, former Governor of Sokoto State and ex-Speaker of the House of Representatives, has said that elections in Nigeria are not entirely determined by the will of the electorate.
Speaking on Prime Time, an Arise Television programme, the senator representing Sokoto South attributed the state of the country’s elections to systemic flaws, compromise by officials, and the exploitation of loopholes by politicians.
Tambuwal said voters’ choices are often distorted at multiple stages of the electoral process, from polling units through collation at ward, local government, state and national levels.
“It is not completely decided by the electorate. I can say that without mincing words. From polling units to wards, local governments, states and even at the national level, things happen that misrepresent what voters actually voted for,” he said.
According to him, the electoral system suffers compromise across institutions, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the courts, and political actors.
“The system is compromised through INEC, the courts and the politicians because the politicians try to find corners to cut. So wherever there’s a loophole, politicians take advantage of that loophole,” Tambuwal stated.
He explained that the challenges arise from a combination of factors such as technological failures, delayed commencement of polls, non-transmission of results electronically, and compromised officials.
“It is a combination of both. Politicians exploit loopholes wherever they exist. INEC also has challenges, from failure of technology, late commencement of elections, failure to transmit results, and compromise of officials,” he added.
The former governor expressed strong support for comprehensive electoral reforms, including electronic transmission of results, even if such reforms work against his personal political interests.
“I wholeheartedly support any reform that will improve the electoral process, including electronic transmission, even if I lose an election because of it,” Tambuwal said.
He also criticised the lack of ideology within Nigeria’s political parties, describing most of them as mere vehicles for the pursuit of power.
“If it’s about ideology, what was President Muhammadu Buhari doing in the APC with some characters that we have in APC? I don’t want to mention names, but if you look at President Muhammadu Buhari then, the way he was perceived, what was he doing with some characters in politics?” he asked.
