Former Sokoto State Governor and ex-Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, has declared that elections in Nigeria are not solely decided by voters, insisting that results are often altered during the collation process.
Speaking in an interview on Arise Television, on Monday, January 12, monitored by The News Chronicle, Tambuwal said while Nigerians turn out to vote, what ultimately emerges as election results frequently fails to reflect the will of the people.
“Elections are not completely decided by electorates. I can say that without mincing words,” he said.
He alleged that manipulation commonly occurs at multiple stages of result collation, from polling units to ward, local government, state and even national levels, distorting the actual votes cast.
According to Tambuwal, politicians routinely exploit loopholes within the electoral system, particularly during the collation and transmission of results, to tilt outcomes in their favour.
He also accused some officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of compromising elections, saying internal weaknesses within the body contribute to flawed polls.
Despite the concerns, the former governor expressed strong backing for electoral reforms, especially the electronic transmission of results, which he described as critical to restoring credibility to the process.
“I wholeheartedly support any reform that will improve the electoral process in Nigeria, including electronic transmission,” he said.
On political ideology, Tambuwal argued that most Nigerian parties lack clear ideological foundations, describing them as mere platforms for personal ambition.
“If it was truly about ideology, what was President Muhammadu Buhari doing in the APC with some of the characters we have in the party?” he asked.
He added that even within the coalition-backed African Democratic Congress (ADC), politicians with conflicting ideological leanings often align, underscoring what he described as the absence of principled politics in Nigeria.
