When the ballot box becomes an afterthought, democracy begins to die. In Rivers and Kogi States, two separate political dramas are showing Nigerians just how quickly our hard-won votes can be sidelined—and why silence now could cost us the future.
Rivers State: An Election Without a Governor
Following a state of emergency in Rivers, the elected Governor, Deputy Governor, and State House of Assembly were suspended. In their place, a sole administrator now governs. Astonishingly, this administrator intends to conduct local government elections—something the 1999 Constitution clearly reserves for a State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) formed under an elected governor and confirmed by the state assembly.
If this happens, it will set a perilous precedent: elections conducted outside constitutional channels, legitimized under the banner of “emergency administration.”
Kogi State: Silencing an Elected Voice
In Kogi, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan—chosen by the people of Kogi Central—has been suspended from the Senate. Her supporters see this as politically motivated, a way to mute an opposition voice in a state where the ruling party dominates. The effect is chilling: more than half a million citizens are left without their chosen voice in Nigeria’s highest lawmaking chamber.
The Common Danger
These cases may look different, but their danger is identical—the erosion of the electoral mandate. In Rivers, the threat is replacing a constitutional process with administrative fiat. In Kogi, it’s stripping away representation without transparent due process. Both chip at the bedrock of our democracy.
Why Nigerians Should Worry
If we allow these precedents, what will stop tomorrow’s leaders from suspending governors, dissolving assemblies, or sidelining senators whenever it suits them? If the ballot box becomes optional, Nigeria risks sliding into a political order where rules are bent for the powerful—and broken for everyone else.
The Call to Action
Democracy survives only when its rules are upheld, especially when they inconvenience those in power. Whether in Rivers or Kogi, Nigerians must insist that the Constitution—not political expediency—be our referee.
Because if we lose the sanctity of the vote, we lose the soul of our democracy. As the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi once said:
“Democracy is not a government of the powerful for the powerful; it is a government of laws for all.”
– Moses Emani Salami wrote from Kogi state.
