Abuja: President Bola Tinubu underscored the essence of democracy in Nigeria, describing it as a process rooted in “solid brainstorming discussions committed to national development and nation building.”
Addressing the country’s electoral systems, he emphasised that democracy must be managed, promoted, and finalised by the people themselves.
Building on this point, Tinubu praised the manual voting process — where ballot papers are issued, marked privately, counted manually, and results entered for accuracy before transmission — as a safeguard against confusion and disenfranchisement.
The President argued that this system has helped ensure clarity and confidence in Nigeria’s elections, even as debates continue about adopting real‑time digital processes.
At the same time, the president acknowledged concerns about Nigeria’s technical readiness. He referenced the lack of widespread broadband access and insufficient infrastructure, emphasising that real-time electoral processes require both.
He warned that system glitches, cyberattacks, or data breaches could compromise the integrity of the election and erode public trust.
“What is crucial is the fact that you manage the process to the extent there has been no confusion, no disenfranchisement of Nigerians and that we are all going to see democracy flourish,” Tinubu said.
“No matter how good a system is, it’s managed by the people, promoted by the people, and finalised by the people.”
Closing his remarks, Tinubu struck an optimistic tone: “Nigeria will be there. We will flourish. We will continue to nurture this democracy for the fulfilment of our dream for prosperity and stability of our country.”