Wabara, Ben Obi mobilise diaspora support for free, fair 2027 polls in US

By Steve Oko

Former Senate President and Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Adolphus Wabara, and former Action Congress (AC) vice-presidential candidate, Senator Ben Obi, have begun high-level consultations with Nigerians in the United States as part of efforts to mobilise support for free, fair and credible elections in 2027.

The consultations, which cut across party lines, are aimed at rallying progressive Nigerians at home and abroad to defend the country’s democratic institutions, preserve political pluralism and resist any attempt to undermine Nigeria’s multi-party democracy.

Speaking in a telephone interview with Vanguard, Wabara said the meetings with Nigerians in the diaspora and some officials focused on growing concerns over the state of the nation’s democracy, the shrinking democratic space and the need for patriotic forces to unite in defence of constitutional governance.

According to him, participants expressed concern over what they described as increasing pressure on opposition parties, the erosion of public confidence in the neutrality of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the danger of weakening Nigeria’s democratic institutions.

Wabara described the consultations as “very fruitful,” saying they centred on building a broad national consensus on how to restore confidence in the electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“The common objective of these consultations is to rescue Nigeria from state capture, free up the democratic space and ensure that the will of the people, not the will of a few powerful individuals, prevails in 2027,” he said.

The former Senate President warned that Nigeria’s democracy was facing one of its most critical moments since the return to civil rule, likening its condition to a patient in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

“Our democracy is currently in the ICU. Unless urgent and sincere efforts are made to strengthen our democratic institutions and guarantee credible elections, the future of our nation could be endangered,” Wabara said.

“What we have in Nigeria today is a distorted version of democracy. This is not the democracy our founding fathers fought and made enormous sacrifices to bequeath to us. We cannot afford to stand by and watch a few greedy political merchants hold the destiny of over 200 million Nigerians by the jugular.

“It is time for all patriotic and progressive Nigerians to rise above partisan interests and unite to defend democracy, protect our constitutional order and ensure that the will of the people prevails through free, fair and credible elections in 2027.”

He called on opposition parties, civil society organisations, professional groups, youth and women organisations, and other patriotic Nigerians to place national interest above partisan considerations and forge a united front in defence of democracy.

“This is not the time for political divisions or narrow party interests. Every patriotic Nigerian who believes in democracy must come together to protect our constitutional order and ensure that the 2027 elections are free, fair, transparent and acceptable to the Nigerian people,” he said.

Wabara also urged eligible Nigerians yet to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to take advantage of the ongoing voter registration exercise before the July 10 deadline, stressing that active citizen participation remained the strongest safeguard against electoral manipulation.

“Democracy belongs to the people. This is not a time to be spectators. Every eligible Nigerian must register, collect a voter’s card and be prepared to participate actively in determining the future of our country,” he added.

Explaining the purpose of his visit, Wabara said: “I visited Senator Ben Obi in New Jersey on Sunday. We seized the opportunity to deliberate extensively on the political situation in Nigeria, the imperative of defending democracy and the way forward. We also met with some officials and concerned Nigerians.”

He noted that the US consultations followed similar high-level engagements he held in London during a recent visit to former PDP Deputy National Chairman, Chief Bode George, who was recuperating after surgery.

According to Wabara, the London meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss the state of Nigeria’s democracy, the future of the opposition and the need to build a broad coalition to safeguard democratic governance ahead of the 2027 general elections.

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