Tambuwal Declares Nigerian Elections “Not Fully Decided by Voters,” Alleges Systemic Manipulation

|By Chinwendu Nwani

The Senator representing Sokoto South, Aminu Tambuwal, has asserted that elections in Nigeria are not entirely determined by the will of the electorate, arguing that manipulation occurs at multiple stages of the electoral process.

Tambuwal made the assertion on Monday during an interview on Prime Time, a current affairs programme aired on Arise Television.

The former Sokoto State governor said the distortion of voters’ choices often begins at collation stages, where results are altered in ways that fail to reflect ballots cast by citizens.

According to him, politicians exploit institutional loopholes, while some officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) compromise the integrity of the process.

“Elections are not completely decided by the electorate. I can say that without mincing words,” Tambuwal stated.

He explained that irregularities are not limited to a single tier, but span polling units, wards, local government areas, states, and even the national level, resulting in outcomes that misrepresent voters’ decisions.

Tambuwal further blamed what he described as a systemic breakdown involving electoral officials, politicians, and the judiciary, noting that political actors consistently seek and exploit weaknesses within the system to their advantage.