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The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2027 election, Peter Obi, has lamented that Nigerian democracy is in serious crisis.

He decried what he described as the erosion of democratic principles in Nigeria, saying the country is facing a crisis.

The ex- Anambra State governor spoke on Tuesday at the 2026 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Democracy Dialogue in Bauchi, the Bauchi State capital, where he reflected on the state of democracy and governance in the country.

Obi recalled spending three years in court challenging his election as Anambra State governor, noting that judges he had never met previously delivered judgments in his favour.

He said such an experience would be difficult to replicate in Nigeria today.

I was in court for three years challenging my election, five judges that I never met for one day gave judgement in my favour, it cannot happen in Nigeria of today. I went to Court of Appeal, five judges I never met gave judgement in my favour.

“So, if you look at that and look at what is happening today in Nigeria where professors are now aiding illiterates to rig elections, where our lawmakers have removed forgery as an offence in electoral matters, and Senior Advocates of Nigeria are defending forgery. Our religious leaders are now praying for criminal politicians for blessings. We have a crisis. And above all, our judges are now singing on your mandate,” Obi said.

He urged Nigerians to examine the direction of the country and question the state of its democratic institutions.

Obi said Nigerians must reject the normalisation of practices that undermine democracy, warning that their consequences could be inherited by future generations.

According to him, “We need to reverse this because the abuse we are allowing today will take its revenge on our children.”

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This year’s GJF Democracy Dialogue is anchored on the question: “Beyond elections, can political parties and the judiciary save African democracy?”

The event was chaired by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and attended by former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and former Vice President Namadi Sambo.

Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed hosted the event, which also brought together constitutional experts and civil society voices from across the continent.

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Anger and fierce condemnation has swept across the nation following the emergence of a viral video in which the Senator representing Osun East Senatorial District, Francis Ade Fadahunsi, allegedly issued a direct order inciting violent attacks and voter suppression against members of the rival Accord party.

​The controversial video footage, which was brought to widespread public attention after being shared on X (formerly Twitter) by international Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, captures the sitting lawmaker addressing a crowd with inflammatory and hostile statements.

In the recorded footage, the lawmaker can be heard making explicit calls to violence and disenfranchisement aimed at members of the Accord party ahead of an upcoming electoral contest.

“From now on, whenever you see Accord members, kill them. I authorise you to kill them. They have wives and children too,” the Senator stated in the video clip. He went on to assert control over the electoral process, adding, “This is a Federal Government election. On election day, even if they come with voters card, we won’t allow them to vote.”

The broadcast of the video by Davido—who possesses a massive global following and is a prominent native of Osun State—amplified the footage rapidly across social media platforms, sparking immediate fury from civil society organizations, political analysts, and concerned citizens who have categorized the statements as open treason against democratic tenets and an explicit threat to life.

The inciting comments come against the backdrop of heightened political rivalry and volatile partisan friction within Osun State.

Senator Francis Ade Fadahunsi, a retired Assistant Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Customs Service, serves as the representative for the Osun East Senatorial District in the National Assembly.

Osun State’s political landscape has grown increasingly fragile following intense inter-party clashes, particularly between dominant political forces and emerging strongholds of the Accord party.

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has battled internal fractures for years, but by August 2026, those cracks had widened into deep fault lines.

What should have been a straightforward campaign season became a crisis of loyalty, defections and mounting grievances, forcing the Presidency itself to intervene.

Five days before the governorship election, 76 APC leaders from Osun State were summoned to Abuja for a late-night meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The meeting followed a call from the National Security Adviser (NSA), who had alerted the Presidency to the growing discontent within the Osun APC. The warning was political, not about violence. The NSA reportedly told the Presidency that the grievances among party leaders had reached a level capable of undermining the APC’s campaign machinery in the state.

The delegation that arrived at Aso Rock included Olubunmi Ete, former Speaker of the House of Representatives; Mojeed Alabi, Adejare Bello and Wale Afolabi, all former Speakers of the Osun State House of Assembly; as well as senior party chieftains such as Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun, Poju Odusola and Bode Olanipekun. Others included Babajide Omoworare, a former presidential aide, and APC National Secretary Ajibola Basiru, who coordinated the meeting.

These were not fringe figures. They were leaders who had carried the party’s banner for years, commanded constituencies and influenced legislation. Their grievance was straightforward: exclusion.
For three years, federal appointments and patronage from Osun were said to have flowed largely through former governor and current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, and his IleriOluwa faction. Other party leaders felt sidelined, humiliated before their supporters and stripped of political relevance.
At the Villa, the 76 leaders demanded recognition. They sought a share of federal appointments, contracts and political influence.

They wanted assurances that the APC was not simply Oyetola’s personal political empire.
Some also expressed doubts about Bola Oyebamiji, the APC governorship candidate and former commissioner under Oyetola, questioning whether he would operate differently if elected.
President Tinubu’s assurance that there would be room for everyone at the federal level if state positions were exhausted offered some reassurance, but it did not fully address the grievances. Instead, the meeting appeared to postpone rather than resolve the deeper crisis.
Beyond the 76 leaders seeking inclusion were others whose grievances had gone much further—those who felt completely discarded by the party.

In December 2025, the APC screening committee disqualified seven of the nine governorship aspirants ahead of the party’s primary. The official reason was their failure to provide proof of sponsorship from registered party members across the required local government areas. However, to many party members, the development appeared to be a deliberate purge intended to clear the way for Oyetola’s preferred candidate.
Among those disqualified were Senator Iyiola Omisore, former deputy governor and immediate past APC National Secretary; Babajide Omoworare; Benedict Alabi; Akin Ogunbiyi; Dotun Babayemi; Babatunde Oralusi; and Adegoke Rasheed.
Bola Oyebamiji, regarded as an Oyetola loyalist, eventually emerged as the party’s candidate.
Omisore, in particular, felt betrayed.