The Kwankwasiyya Movement has raised alarm over perceived threats to Nigeria's democracy, citing judicial inconsistencies and actions by the Independent National Electoral Commission under its current leadership. In a statement released Friday by spokesperson Habibu Mohammed, the group criticised what it described as a pattern of conflicting court rulings and administrative decisions that have destabilised political parties. The movement pointed to the African Democratic Congress leadership crisis, where INEC suspended recognition of any faction pending judicial resolution, as a recent example of institutional fragility. It argued that similar disputes in the Peoples Democratic Party, Labour Party, and New Nigeria Peoples Party have been marked by contradictory judicial pronouncements and procedural irregularities, leading to prolonged uncertainty. The statement accused the judiciary of undermining legal principles such as stare decisis and claimed INEC's conduct has deepened public distrust. "Democracy cannot survive where political parties are incapacitated by judicial confusion and where the electoral umpire is perceived to be complicit… in the suppression of voters and the distortion of political competition," the statement said. It stressed that Nigeria's democratic future depends on credible institutions and processes that protect citizens' right to choose their leaders.
Habibu Mohammed's statement exposes how judicial disarray and INEC's reactive posture are being exploited to suffocate opposition parties. When courts issue conflicting rulings and the electoral body defaults to inaction, it is not neutrality—it is complicity in institutional erosion. For Nigerian voters, this means fewer genuine choices and more manufactured party crises that benefit entrenched political interests. No amount of moralising statements will fix the damage already done to public trust.
