2027: Former Gov. Seriake Dickson Speaks On Worst Coup Politician, Govt Officials Can Plan

Christogonus Iheanyi November 11, 2025 0

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Former Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Seriake Dickson, has described election rigging as the “worst form of coup” that can be carried out against the Nigerian people.

Speaking at the fifth anniversary lecture of First Daily Newspaper held on Monday in Abuja, Dickson said collusion among government officials, security agencies, and the electoral umpire to manipulate results amounts to a direct assault on democracy.

The event, themed “2027: How Can We Make Our Votes Count?”, was attended by politicians, diplomats, civil society representatives, and media executives.

“Rigging of elections is the worst coup you can plan,” Dickson declared. “When politicians, government officials, security agencies, and the electoral umpire collude to manipulate results, they violate the sovereignty of the people.”

He warned that Nigeria’s democracy faces serious threats from electoral fraud, voter apathy, and political manipulation, urging the National Assembly to enact stronger laws to protect the people’s mandate ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“Falsifying results or declaring outcomes not based on actual votes is a coup against democracy and the nation,” he added.

Amaechi Urges Massive Turnout in 2027

Also speaking at the event, former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi urged Nigerians to come out en masse to vote in 2027, saying that widespread voter apathy enables electoral malpractice.

In his goodwill message, Amaechi cautioned that low voter participation could make it easier for incumbents to retain power through manipulation.

“The first solution to electoral reform is not the government. The people are the problem,” he said. “The more you say they have written the results, the more you have voter apathy. Voter apathy will make President Bola Tinubu return to the Villa.”

The anniversary lecture provided a platform for stakeholders to discuss strategies to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral integrity, promote civic engagement, and ensure that citizens’ votes truly count in future elections.