Former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega; former Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari; Chairman of Media Trust Group, Malam Kabiru Yusuf; and other prominent Nigerians have warned that Nigeria is facing a deepening national crisis driven by insecurity, alleged electoral manipulation and weakening democratic institutions.
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The warning was contained in a statement titled “Statement On The State Of The Nation,” dated June 8, 2026.
Other signatories to the statement include Dr Husseini Abdu, Dr Usman Bugaje, Prof. Jibrin Ibrahim and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Abubakar Balarabe Mahmoud, SAN.
The group said its assessment showed that Nigeria was at a dangerous crossroads, with rising insecurity, alleged manipulation of the electoral process and weakening democratic institutions combining to threaten the country’s stability.
“Our assessment of the state of the nation reveals that Nigeria stands at a dangerous crossroads where rising insecurity, an alarming level of electoral manipulation by government, and the weakening of democratic institutions are converging into a national crisis that threatens the country’s survival,” the statement read.
The signatories expressed concern over what they described as the erosion of the constitutional principle of separation of powers.
They alleged that key democratic institutions had become weakened and increasingly subordinated to the executive arm of government.
“The legislative branch has been placed under near-total control of the executive branch. The judiciary appears to have lost both its independence and its integrity,” they stated.
According to them, the weakening of institutional independence has deepened public distrust and contributed to political exclusion, impunity and worsening insecurity across the country.
The group also linked Nigeria’s security challenges to the broader instability in the Sahel region, citing terrorism, arms trafficking, unconstitutional changes of government and porous borders in countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
“The crisis in Nigeria cannot be separated from the broader instability engulfing the Sahel region,” the statement added.
To address the regional dimension of the crisis, the signatories urged the Federal Government to appoint a Special Envoy for the Sahel to rebuild trust between the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, and the Alliance of Sahel States, AES.
They also called on civil society organisations, professional bodies, religious leaders and the private sector to defend democratic values and demand accountability from public institutions.
On the electoral process, the group expressed concern over what it described as “clear and consistent indications of the lack of neutrality and competence of INEC.”
They urged civic groups, the Nigerian Bar Association and other stakeholders to engage the electoral body to ensure that the 2027 general elections are free, fair and credible.
The signatories further called on the judiciary and the National Judicial Council, NJC, to strengthen accountability mechanisms and restore public confidence in the justice system.
They said the judiciary must reclaim its independence, integrity and constitutional role as a stabilising institution in a democracy.
The group warned that unless urgent steps are taken to address insecurity, electoral credibility and institutional decline, Nigeria’s democratic stability may come under greater threat ahead of the 2027 elections.
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