Peter Obi told an audience in Bauchi on Tuesday that Nigeria’s democracy is slipping, and he blamed it on the very people who should protect it.
Speaking at the 2026 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Democracy Dialogue, the NDC presidential candidate for 2027 said the country is in crisis because professors, lawmakers, lawyers and judges have all helped normalize practices that undermine elections.
He pointed to his own experience as Anambra governor, when he spent three years in court. “Five judges I never met gave judgment in my favor. At the Court of Appeal, another five I never met did the same. That cannot happen in Nigeria today,” Obi said.
According to him, the situation has reversed. He accused academics of “aiding illiterates to rig elections,” said lawmakers have removed forgery as an electoral offence, and claimed Senior Advocates of Nigeria are now defending forgery in court. He also criticized religious leaders for praying for politicians with questionable records, and judges for chanting “on your mandate” instead of upholding the law.
“We need to reverse this because the abuse we are allowing today will take its revenge on our children,” Obi warned. He urged Nigerians to reject the normalization of such acts and to question the direction of democratic institutions.
This year’s dialogue asked: “Beyond elections, can political parties and the judiciary save African democracy?” Former President Olusegun Obasanjo chaired the event. Former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice President Namadi Sambo attended, while Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed hosted. Constitutional experts and civil society leaders from across Africa also took part.
Obi is positioning the speech as a call for accountability ahead of 2027, arguing that without stronger institutions, elections alone cannot protect democracy.
