Renowned political economist and public intellectual, Pat Utomi, has warned that Nigeria is facing governance conditions worse than those experienced under former military ruler Sani Abacha, citing deepening executive manipulation and institutional decline.
Speaking in an interview on ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, Utomi said the country had reached a critical juncture, with democratic structures under severe strain.
“We have reached a moment. We are in conditions presently in terms of manipulations of the executive branch worse than we were under Abacha.”
Utomi’s remarks come against the backdrop of growing concerns over governance, political tensions, and recent violence in parts of the country, which he described as symptomatic of a broader collapse in leadership and empathy.
“Every new day, something reminds us of the question of our humanity in Nigeria. The very essence of our humanity is solidarity. The ability to feel other people’s pain. If we lose it, we’ve lost everything. And we seem to be losing it.”
He criticised what he described as a detached political elite, accusing leaders of reducing human tragedies to mere data points.
“We seem to have a political elite that sees the death of Nigerians as just another statistic. It is not. It is a sad, sad moment for our country.”
Utomi also pointed to longstanding warnings about instability in parts of Nigeria, particularly Plateau State, referencing earlier predictions about the region’s vulnerability to conflict.
“And what’s even more, these deaths were predicted long ago. And after all these years, we cannot fix it. It shows that the Leviathan has lost its essence.”
On the political landscape ahead of the 2027 elections, Utomi criticised both major parties; the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party, suggesting little distinction between them.
“You know, years ago, looking at Sani Abacha’s games, described five fingers of the same leprous hand. APC. AP. PDP.”
He accused the governing party of avoiding genuine electoral accountability, arguing that worsening economic conditions have eroded public confidence.
“But the one thing the APC doesn’t want to see is the vote of the people. It does not. Because it knows that the pain in the country, the disaffection that has come from how poorly the people live.”
Highlighting Nigeria’s socio-economic challenges, Utomi said the country ranks among the worst globally on key wellbeing indicators.
“Take any misery index in the world. Nigeria is almost at the very bottom.”
He further alleged attempts to suppress public dissent, referencing incidents involving protests at the National Assembly.
“If they try anything extraordinary, they tear gas people, people try to have ordinary simple protests in front of the National Assembly to say we don’t want this.”
Utomi revealed that civil society groups are pursuing legal and civic strategies to challenge what they see as flawed electoral processes.
“We go to court to essentially challenge what happened in the National Assembly on February 17th. And we are returning to court to seek a repeal of that electoral act.”
Despite concerns about judicial independence, he insisted that both legal and public pressure would shape outcomes.
“Even if the courts are manipulated as they may be, we are in two courts. Court of the people and the courts of law. And those courts will sort themselves out.”
On opposition politics, Utomi maintained that a united front could defeat the governing party if elections are credible, arguing that past results did not reflect the true will of voters.
“Except that the last elections were not credible. Many of those votes given to these opposition leaders were significantly doctored.”
“They have more than enough votes to overtake the power. Who came to power with less than 27% of the vote of Nigeria? This is ultimate minority rule.”
He disclosed plans by civil society to deploy independent systems to monitor and verify election results in real time.
“We are setting up our own independent IRF. And there will be more than one civil society. And once the elections take place, they are photographed, uploaded, they will report in CNN, Al Jazeera, everywhere in the world.”
Utomi warned that continued suppression of the electorate could provoke serious consequences, both domestically and internationally.
“Nigerians have had enough of being intimidated and bullied by political actors. And if they are not careful, they will reap very painfully. International criminal courts will try them.”
Reflecting on Nigeria’s democratic journey since the end of military rule, Utomi admitted that civil society actors made critical miscalculations by not transitioning into political leadership.
“So we chose not to participate in politics. That is the single biggest error we made.”
He said that decision allowed entrenched interests, including former military figures, to dominate the political space.
“What happened? The parliament of soldiers went into public life and we would not recover from it.”
Erizia Rubyjeana
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