Our Reporter, Abuja
Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Jibrin Okutepa, on Monday described the February 21, 2026 Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as a “democratic sabotage,” warning that the 2027 general elections could be “more terrible and brazen” if urgent reforms are not undertaken.
Reacting to the outcome of the polls, Okutepa said the exercise showed that “Nigerians’ will and votes do not matter,” alleging that citizens were prevented from freely determining who governs them.
“Democracy is not a function of show of force. It is not a process rooted in arrogance or exhibition of naked force,” he said, insisting that what took place in the FCT could not be described as a free, fair and credible election.
According to him, the declaration of a work-free day on Friday, February 20, 2026, by the FCT Minister was a prelude to the alleged irregularities that characterised the poll.
“To call what happened on Saturday, February 21, 2026, an election is completely an abuse of language,” he stated.
“What happened was never a free, fair and credible election. It was democratic sabotage where people were prevented from coming out to vote due to unlawful and unconstitutional declarations and restrictions of movement.”
Okutepa warned that Nigeria’s democracy “is in danger and currently on life support,” accusing those in power of undermining its growth. He also faulted some officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), alleging that they were not fully alive to their responsibilities.
He cited what he described as mutilation of election results and arbitrary additions of votes on Forms EC8A circulating on social media as evidence of malpractice.
“Those who engage in this democratic imposition have committed treason against the people and against the Nigerian Constitution,” he said.
The senior lawyer stressed that the Constitution provides that Nigeria shall be a democratic state and that sovereignty belongs to the people. He added that acts such as ballot stuffing, thumb-printing and adding votes to favour a particular candidate amount to “democratic oppression and corruption” and are unconstitutional.
He urged Nigerians not to commend the exercise but to “have the boldness and courage to call it what it is,” describing the poll as “treason against democracy, treason against the constitution and treason against the people of Nigeria.”
Okutepa also criticised the opposition, saying it had weakened itself through internal wrangling and disunity.
“The opposition is in disarray. They are not united to wrestle power from those abusing it,” he said, adding that conflicts among political actors have diminished the legitimacy of opposition parties.
He further lamented the absence of political education across party lines, arguing that poverty has become “the most potent political tool for undemocratic imposition of leadership.”
On electoral reforms, Okutepa called for the rejection of manual collation of votes and insisted that any results bearing mutilations, cancellations or alterations should be cancelled.
“At this age of technology, it is a shame for us to be using forms to conduct elections,” he said, urging INEC leadership to demonstrate the courage to invalidate compromised results.
He maintained that what took place in the FCT on February 21, 2026, “was not an election but a predetermined selection,” and called on Nigerians to demand genuine democratic processes ahead of future polls.
