Voters, media, CSOs urged to pay more attention to state elections, politics

As political activities gather momentum ahead of the 2027 elections, two political and civil society figures have called for greater scrutiny of governorship candidates, particularly over how they intend to manage increased federal allocations and address insecurity in their states.

The three African Independent Television (AIT) guests, Austin Aigbe, a member of the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room; Patrice Akwara, a stalwart of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), and Maxwell Igbokwe, chairman of the Accord Party in the South-east, spoke on Tuesday morning on AIT’s Kakaaki programme, which was monitored by PREMIUM TIMES.

The guests called on voters, civil society groups and the media to pay more attention to state elections rather than allowing the presidential contest to dominate political discussions.

They argued that governors now have greater financial resources at their disposal and should be challenged to explain how they intend to translate the funds into improved living conditions for residents.

Mr Akwara said the increased federal allocations to states should make citizens more conscious of the responsibility of governors to account for their spending.

He argued that while Nigerians hold the federal government responsible for the country’s economic challenges, state governments should also face scrutiny over their policies and performance.

According to him, political discussions have largely concentrated on the presidency, leaving state governors with insufficient public scrutiny ahead of the governorship elections.

He urged civil society organisations and the media to redirect attention to state governments and demand explanations from governors about their programmes and campaign promises.

“It is as if we don’t really have much discussion around the accountability of the state governors. Most of the governors are still enjoying it. Can I call it a holiday because most of the light is being beamed on the presidency and everything about the presidency,” Mr Akwara said.

“We should also hold the state governors accountable,” he said, urging them to organise town hall meetings where residents could question them about their plans.

Mr Igbokwe also criticised governors for what he described as their failure to use increased public funds to address poverty and unemployment.

He questioned the emphasis on road construction, bridges and flyovers, arguing that such projects did not necessarily improve the living conditions of poor Nigerians.

“You see a governor building flyovers, building bridges all over. Does that put food on the table of a poor man? No,” he asked.

He challenged state governments to develop industrialisation plans capable of creating jobs and reducing poverty, rather than concentrating on infrastructure projects that, in his view, did not adequately address residents’ economic difficulties.

He called on governors to think beyond conventional infrastructure projects and develop strategies to revive industries and expand employment opportunities.

Opposition parties challenged

The discussion also examined the preparedness of opposition parties for the 2027 governorship and state assembly elections.

In his response, Mr Aigbe questioned whether opposition parties were doing enough to challenge incumbent governors, arguing that many political actors appeared to be relying on the popularity of their parties at the national level rather than building support at the state level.

He said the tendency for voters to support the same political party across different levels of government could weaken competition in state elections.

“Even after the 2023 elections, look at what happened. People who won on another platform suddenly realised they needed to go to the centre. So, that’s why it’s a challenge for me that opposition political parties at the state level can provide us with a pathway to follow if the incumbent is not winning,” he said.

He also cited the 2015 general elections as an example of how political momentum at the national level could influence results in state elections, with candidates benefiting from the popularity of their parties’ presidential candidates.

Mr Aigbe, however, said opposition parties should not assume that public dissatisfaction with incumbent governors would automatically translate into electoral support for them.

He also criticised what he described as the growing concentration of political attention on national elections at the expense of state and local government elections.

He warned that the trend could weaken democratic competition and reduce citizens’ engagement with governance at the subnational level.

Mr Akwara also acknowledged that opposition parties needed to become more active, saying the NDC was working to strengthen its structures and hold the government accountable.

He called on mainstream media organisations to devote more attention to state-level politics, arguing that many communities were facing governance challenges that received little national coverage.

State police and governors’ powers

The proposed establishment of state police was another major issue discussed during the programme, with the guests expressing concerns about how governors might exercise control over the proposed security institutions.

Mr Igbokwe opposed the establishment of state police under the current political arrangements, arguing that governors already wield considerable influence over political institutions and could abuse additional security powers.

He described some governors as emperors who influence the emergence of lawmakers and local government chairpersons, warning that giving them control over state police could further concentrate power in their hands.

“If they decide that you will leave, you will. If they decide you will die tomorrow you will die,” he said, describing what he considered the potential dangers of governors controlling state police.

However, Mr Akwara took a different position, arguing that since several state assemblies had endorsed the proposed arrangement, governorship candidates should explain how they intend to manage the security structure.

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He said candidates should present detailed security plans that address the country’s worsening insecurity and explain how they would protect residents’ lives and property.

He also urged civil society organisations to lead public discussions on how state police would operate and what safeguards would prevent governors from abusing the proposed powers.

Mr Aigbe said civil society organisations had previously raised concerns during discussions on the proposed state police arrangement.

He questioned the emphasis on state police as an expression of true federalism, arguing that similar attention should be given to fiscal and resource federalism.

The guests agreed that the 2027 governorship and state assembly elections deserved greater public attention, although they differed on the preparedness of opposition parties and the risks associated with state-controlled policing.