Resist attempts to rig 2027 election, Galadima tells Nigerians
— Daughter disagrees with him over youths’ voting power
By Favour Ulebor, Abuja
Elder statesman and public commentator, Alhaji Buba Galadima, has urged Nigerians to resist attempts to manipulate the outcome of the 2027 general election, warning that failure to defend their votes could undermine their democratic rights.
Galadima gave the charge on Tuesday while speaking with Vanguard at the sixth edition of the Frontier Discourse Annual Public Lecture Series and Awards, organised by Pacesetter Frontier Magazine at Merit House, Maitama, Abuja.
The event was held under the theme, “Barrel to Ballot: The Naturalisation of Violence, Nigeria’s Polity, and its Democratic Circus.”
Speaking on the forthcoming election, Galadima urged Nigerians not to surrender their electoral rights or allow political actors to manipulate the outcome of the polls.
“They should resist all temptations to rig them out. They should. Or else they become slaves forever,” he said.
He also called on older Nigerians to speak up for the younger generation, arguing that despite constituting a significant proportion of the population, young people had not been given sufficient opportunities to influence the country’s political direction.
“The most unfortunate thing is the youth who make 54 per cent of the population of the country, they have no voting rights, so they cannot change anything. So us, 46 per cent remaining, should have to make a case for them, should be their voice,” he said.
Galadima also questioned the neutrality of key democratic institutions, including the judiciary, National Assembly, security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He alleged that some of the institutions had failed to demonstrate the independence required to protect the country’s democratic process, accusing them of aligning with the interests of political actors.
“The security people are not working for Nigeria. They are working for one transient person. They are supposed to be neutral,” he said.
He also criticised INEC, alleging that the electoral umpire was not sufficiently independent.
“INEC, which is supposed to be independent. They are more Tinubu than independent. More APC than independent,” he said.
However, his daughter, Hon. Zainab Buba Galadima, disagreed with his position on the ability of young Nigerians to influence political outcomes through voting.
Zainab, a social change advocate and former councillor in the Abuja Municipal Area Council, said young people must participate actively in elections and other civic processes rather than allow political apathy to weaken their influence.
She argued that the numerical strength of young Nigerians could translate into political influence if they became more involved in the democratic process.
“I certainly disagree with him. I think if we do not vote, because they bank on citizens’ apathy in participation, be it elections, be it anything. So if there is apathy, obviously they will do what they want,” she said.
“We are over 230 million people, compared to the people in government running things. I think we can do a lot and we can change a lot, so we do have a role to play.”
Speaking on the lecture theme, Zainab said insecurity was closely linked to democratic participation, noting that citizens could not fully exercise their rights or pursue opportunities when their safety was threatened.
She urged young people to develop the courage to defend their values, speak against wrongdoing and take responsibility for the country’s future.
“I wanted young people to understand that they could change so many things about this country. It is not just up to the country. It is about we, the people. It is because we allow just a minimum number of people to decide our fate,” she said.
She also questioned the presentation of government programmes as acts of generosity to citizens, arguing that public policies should be assessed based on their actual impact.
On the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), she said education loans should not be presented as acts of benevolence to beneficiaries without considering the financial obligations attached to them.
Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, SAN, said Nigeria’s electoral process had continued to evolve through the introduction of technology.
Udeh, who received the Public Sector Person of the Year award, said the transition from manual voter registration and voting to technology-assisted processes had helped reduce some forms of electoral malpractice and violence.
He cited ballot snatching and stuffing as examples of electoral misconduct that technology could help curb, adding that sustained public engagement was necessary to deepen democratic participation.
“The fact that we’re doing public engagement on issues of election, how electioneering should be issue-based, not bringing violence, but speaking to the people to win their hearts and win their votes. And that is the way that it ought to be,” he said.
Udeh said Nigeria was moving towards an electoral system in which political parties and candidates would increasingly be required to engage voters through policy proposals and issues rather than violence and aggression.
Other award recipients included the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, popularly known as Tunji Disu, and human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, who received the Frontier Person Award.
Galadima received the Lifetime Achievement Award, while senior editor, news anchor and special correspondent with Arise News, Charles Aniagolu, was named Media Person of the Year in the Broadcast Television category.
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