Founder of the Centre for Alternative Politics and Security West Africa (CAPS-WA), Dr. Muhammad Dan Suleiman, has linked the insecurity surrounding elections to the failure of the country’s political system.
He argues that the persistent issues of violence and the absence of free and fair elections reflect a more profound failure in the way politics is conducted.
“All these insecurities in elections—our worries about violence, the absence of free and fair elections—I believe it is due to the failure of politics, in a broader sense,” Dr. Suleiman remarked in an interview on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Monday, November 11.
His statements come amid heightened public anxiety over election-related violence and alleged irregularities in the electoral process.
Dr. Suleiman believes that without significant reform, elections will continue to be marred by issues that prevent citizens from freely and fairly participating in the democratic process.
He therefore called and called for a rethinking of democratic practices both locally and across the region.
“The way forward is to rethink the way we do politics and the way we practice democracy in this country and the region,” he said.
According to Dr. Suleiman, this shift in perspective could open new avenues for enhancing both the political landscape and national security.