A political analyst, Dr Ayo Olorunfemi, has urged Nigeria to draw lessons from the United States’ midterm elections by strengthening political education and electoral accountability ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Olorunfemi made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.
He said the U.S. electoral system demonstrated how voters could use elections to express approval or dissatisfaction with government policies and political leadership.
The analyst said Nigeria’s electoral challenges went beyond technology, stressing thatpoverty, vote buying, regional politics and inadequate political education continued to undermine credible elections.
According to him, the U.S. midterm elections provide an opportunity for voters to assess the performance of the president’s party and influence the balance of power in Congress.
Olorunfunmi, Deputy National Chairman of the Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party, cited immigration policies, economic concerns and public dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump’s administration as factors shaping political choices in the U.S.
“What led to the kind of thing you saw is the bullish nature of Trump himself, the immigration policy and the role of ICE, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency,” he said.
The analyst said issues such as family separation and immigration enforcement had raised public concerns, influencing voters’ decision.
He, however, said Nigeria’s political environment was different because of widespread poverty and the influence of monetary inducements on electoral choices.
“In Nigeria, we have a lot of elites, but the few elites who are supposed to guide the system sometimes make the population more gullible,” he said.
He said the 2027 elections could be highly competitive, with regional interests, security concerns and political alignments playing significant roles in determining the outcome.
The analyst called for sustained political education to encourage voters to assess candidates based on their policies, competence and capacity to address national challenges.
He identified poverty as a major factor encouraging vote buying and selling, explaining that economic hardship made many voters vulnerable to monetary inducements.
He said politicians could exploit the situation by offering money to voters and community influencers to mobilise support.
“Somebody who has not received his money and has five children who are adults and can vote, when he hears that they are giving N10,000, he may forget what will happen tomorrow,” he said.
According to him, such voters may prioritise immediate survival over the long-term consequences of their electoral choices.
He said vote buying could not be eliminated through electronic voting alone, stressing that electoral reforms must address the socioeconomic conditions encouraging the practice.
“Even if you are going to electronic voting and using your national e-ID to vote, are you sure that the people are voting based on ideology or what they believe in? Or is it money?” he asked.
The analyst said Nigeria had developed the technological capacity to conduct elections efficiently but had yet to fully deploy available resources.
He traced the country’s digital identity development to investments made during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
According to him, the National Identity Management System developed an electronic identity card capable of supporting verification across institutions, including banks and the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“In terms of technology, we are there. We are not willing to deploy it,” he said.
He argued that with appropriate technology and adequate information security measures, elections could be conducted in one day, with results released within two days.
The analyst said the major challenge was ensuring that available technology was properly deployed to guarantee transparency, credibility and public confidence.
He also defended the current administration’s economic policies, describing some of the measures as difficult but potentially necessary to address the country’s challenges.
He likened the policies to malaria bitter medication, saying their potential benefits would depend on effective implementation and the ability of government to ease the hardship experienced by Nigerians.
The analyst, however, acknowledged that economic hardship would influence voter behaviour and shape public opinion ahead of the 2027 elections.
He urged political parties, civil society organisations and electoral stakeholders to intensify voter education and promote issue-based campaigns.
The analyst said Nigeria could strengthen its democracy by combining effective electoral technology with poverty reduction, credible candidates and a more informed electorate.
He stressed that the success of the 2027 elections would depend on voters’ willingness to prioritise accountability and good governance over immediate financial inducements.
