‘Expect A More Troubled Democracy In 2027’ – Sam Amadi

The Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, Sam Amadi, has expressed the view that Nigeria’s democracy will be in a far worse state by 2027 than it currently is.

Amadi made this statement on Tuesday during an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’, programme.

Speaking on the nature of democracy practised in Nigeria, Amadi said political parties lack internal democracy.

According to him, the judiciary is a hopeless case, and the Electoral Act sought to exclude judicial review.

He said, “In 2027, we are going to have worse democracy than it currently is. The key point is that the Nigerian party system doesn’t have internal democracy, and the reason for that is also structural and normative.

“If you look back and see the judiciary, you know, it’s like a hopeless case. The Electoral Acts try to exclude judicial review. Even when judicial review is on, it’s neither here nor there.”

Meanwhile, Amadi warned Nigerians not to place confidence in the deployment of technology by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Amadi stated this on Sunday during the Citizens Town Hall Meeting on the Electoral Act 2026 held in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

He said there should be a bipartisan audit commission to review INEC’s technology.

According to him, “We finished the 2023 election with so much allegations, so much issues.

“The National Assembly did not conduct one public hearing; nobody was put on oath, neither Mahmood nor all the officers, to tell us what happened. That is shambolic

“Nobody should place confidence on INEC deployment of technology.”