Former governors of Bayelsa and Rivers States, Seriake Dickson and Rotimi Amaechi, respectively, have expressed concern over Nigeria’s electoral integrity, warning that persistent vote manipulation and growing voter apathy pose serious threats to the country’s democracy.

The duo spoke yesterday at the fifth anniversary lecture of First Daily newspaper, held in Abuja, with the theme: ‘2027: How Can We Make Our Votes Count?’

In his remarks as chairman of the event, Dickson described electoral fraud as a “coup against the people’s sovereignty,” condemning the subversion of popular will through rigged elections.

The senator, representing Bayelsa West, lamented the collusion between politicians, security agencies, and electoral officials to falsify results, saying such actions violated citizens’ rights to freely choose their leaders.

Dickson, who recalled facing electoral manipulation while serving as an opposition governor, urged the National Assembly to strengthen electoral laws to safeguard the people’s will.

IN his remarks, Amaechi also took a swipe at the political class, declaring that no sitting government was capable of delivering genuine electoral reform. He accused politicians of frustrating reform efforts for personal gain and faulted opposition parties for lacking focus and unity.

According to Amaechi, widespread voter apathy enables rigging to persist.

“The first solution to electoral reform is not government, it’s the people. The more you say the results are already written, the more people stay home. That apathy will make the incumbent stay in power,” he added.

Delivering the keynote address, the Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, Dr Sam Amadi, criticised the close ties between political power and election management, warning that Nigeria’s democracy was being hollowed out by systemic corruption.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Publisher of First Daily, Daniel Markson, lamented Nigeria’s leadership crisis, blaming it on decades of flawed elections.

Markson announced that the newspaper would embark on a nationwide voter sensitisation campaign next year to encourage citizens’ participation ahead of the 2027 polls.