If the statement credited to Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, that Northerners who refuse to vote for President Bola Tinubu because of hunger and hardship will have their votes rigged is true, then Nigerians must not treat it as ordinary political noise. This is not politics; this is a direct threat to democracy. It is a dangerous and arrogant declaration that exposes how little some politicians think of the ballot and how much confidence they have in rigging as a strategy.
Let us be clear: democracy is not a gift from any governor. It is the inalienable right of the people to choose who leads them. Whether they vote for the ruling party or reject it because of hunger, insecurity, joblessness, and excruciating economic pain, their vote is their power. No governor, no president, and no political cabal has the right to steal it. If you have performed, go to the people and ask for their votes. If you have failed, be ready to be rejected. That is the law of democracy.
Nigerians are not blind and they are not fools. Under the present administration of President Bola Tinubu, Nigerians have been pushed to the wall. From the abrupt removal of fuel subsidy without adequate palliative measures, to the free fall of the naira, to the astronomical rise in food prices, transport fares, house rent, school fees, and the cost of living, the average Nigerian is struggling to survive. Inflation has eroded wages, businesses are shutting down daily, factories are folding up, and millions of young people are jobless despite being educated and willing to work. Insecurity has also worsened in many communities, with farmers unable to go to their farms and families living in fear. This is the reality that has triggered anger across the North, South, East, and West.
The responsible thing for any leader to do in the face of this suffering is to listen, to show empathy, and to fix the hardship, not to threaten the hungry that their votes will be rigged if they dare to vote their conscience. You cannot inflict hardship on Nigerians, subject them to the worst economic crisis in recent history, and then threaten them for reacting to that hardship. You cannot demand a mandate from the same people whose democratic right you are plotting to subvert. You cannot starve the people and still want to silence them.
The Nigerian electorate are not fools. They know what they want and they know how to defend it. They understand today more than ever that their PVC is their only weapon against bad governance. They will come out in 2027, they will vote, and they will make sure their votes count, just like they did in the last governorship election in Osun State where the people stood firm, resisted intimidation, protected their mandate, and sent a clear message that power truly belongs to the people. The people of Osun proved that when the people are united and vigilant, no rigging machine can override their will. That same spirit will be on display across Nigeria in 2027.
Let it be sounded loud and clear: 2027 will not be business as usual. Nigerians are not sleeping. They are watching, documenting, and more politically conscious than ever before. Hunger has become a political teacher. Hardship has become a mobilizer. Every market woman, every student, every farmer, every okada rider, and every unemployed graduate now understands the direct connection between bad leadership and their daily suffering. The era when politicians make reckless, arrogant statements and get away with it is over. No threat, intimidation, or boast of invincibility will make Nigerians surrender their constitutional right.
This is the reality the ruling party must accept: the 2027 presidential election is not about APC versus PDP, nor is it about APC versus ADC or any other party acronym. It is Tinubu versus the masses. It is a contest between a government that has inflicted unprecedented hardship and a resolute Nigerian people who are determined to take back their country. And in 2027, the masses will speak loudly through the ballot by voting for a credible and reliable candidate who has the capacity, compassion, and competence to restore their lost glory and bring back their lost hope.
If President Tinubu has earned a second mandate, let him earn it freely at the ballot. Let him go to the North, to the South, to the market, and to the street and convince Nigerians that their lives are better today than they were before. If Nigerians say no, that no must be respected. You cannot force yourself on a people who have rejected you.
The ballot must speak. The people must decide. Every vote must count. Anything short of that is not democracy; it is dictatorship disguised as democracy, and Nigerians will resist it.
Signed:
Comrade James Onifade
Media Executive to Hon. Toyin Anibire Adams aka OBAILUKAN
Founder/Convener, OBAILUKAN Strategic Support Group for Atiku (OSSAT)
