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 seven other prominent Nigerians have warned that Nigeria is facing a deepening crisis marked by rising insecurity, electoral manipulation and weakening democratic institutions.

The group, which also includes Dr Husseini Abdu, Dr Usman Bugaje, Prof. Jibrin Ibrahim and Abubakar Balarabe Mahmoud (SAN), raised the concerns in a statement titled “Statement on the State of the Nation” dated June 8, 2026.

The signatories said their assessment showed that Nigeria was “at a dangerous crossroads” where multiple challenges were converging 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,” they said.

The group expressed concern over what it described as the erosion of the constitutional principle of separation of powers, alleging 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,” the statement said.

It added that the weakening of institutional independence had fuelled public distrust and contributed to growing political exclusion, impunity and insecurity across the country.

The concerned Nigerians also linked Nigeria’s security challenges to the worsening 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,” they said.

To address the situation, the group 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 the 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.

The signatories further expressed concern over the electoral process, saying there were “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 group also called on the judiciary and the National Judicial Council to strengthen accountability mechanisms and restore public confidence in the justice system. (Daily Trust)

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