…the elections as relatively peaceful, opposition voices, including Galadima, have criticized the process, arguing that INEC continues to fall short.
LAGOS, NIGERIA – The iNews Times | Buba Galadima, a prominent chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), has accused the Federal Government of planning to manipulate the 2027 general elections.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Galadima vowed that the NNPP would resist any attempt to subvert the people’s will, warning that the party was prepared to “teach the government a lesson” at the polls.
“What this government is planning is to rig the 2027 election,” he alleged.
When pressed to explain how he knew about the purported plot, the outspoken politician said the government’s recent conduct made its intentions clear.
“They go to governors and tell them to decamp. If you don’t decamp, they threaten to take power from you, not that they will allow you to be voted out. That’s what they do, and they don’t understand,” he said.
‘No real politicians in Nigeria’
Galadima argued that the ruling establishment does not face sufficient scrutiny because the country lacks principled politicians.
According to him, many of Nigeria’s political players are “opportunists” who switch loyalties for personal gain rather than standing on ideology or principle.
Galadima lamented that despite his decades-long involvement in politics, he has never been elected into office because his refusal to play by the conventional rules has earned him the label of a “bad politician.”
“In Nigeria, once you don’t follow their way of politics, you’re seen as a bad politician. But if being upright makes me a bad politician, then so be it,” he said.
The NNPP stalwart also took aim at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), accusing the electoral body of failing to abide by constitutional provisions in its conduct of by-elections.
“I want to raise a very important issue about this by-election. All of them were conducted illegally by INEC,” he said.
According to him, the constitution requires that by-elections be held within three months of a legislative seat becoming vacant, but INEC has often failed to meet this requirement.
“Some of the by-elections were conducted two years after. If candidates go to court to challenge them, they could be declared null and void because that is what the constitution says,” he added.
Recent by-elections in focus
His comments come in the wake of recent by-elections conducted across 13 states, which produced mixed outcomes for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and smaller parties such as the NNPP.
While some observers praised the elections as relatively peaceful, opposition voices, including Galadima, have criticized the process, arguing that INEC continues to fall short of constitutional and democratic standards.
Tensions ahead of 2027
The allegations underscore the growing tension in Nigeria’s political space as the country edges closer to the 2027 general elections. With the memories of the contentious 2023 polls still fresh, opposition parties are increasingly voicing concerns over the independence of electoral institutions and the influence of the ruling government.
For Galadima and the NNPP, the fight ahead is not only about securing votes but also about ensuring that the electoral process itself is credible.
As he put it: “We are ready to confront them. Nigerians must be allowed to decide their leaders freely, not through threats or manipulation.”
