Prof. Chinedu Nebo, Vice Chancellor of the University on the Niger, has stated that the greatest coup in Nigeria’s history was not carried out by the military, but by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the 2023 general elections in an interview with THE GUARDIAN.
Prof. Nebo said INEC failed Nigerians by ignoring the will of the people and explained that the commission only delivered fair results in a few places to create the false impression that the election was credible.
He described the 2023 election as an “electoral coup d’etat.”
According to him, while a military coup removes a government, the 2023 elections swept away the will of the Nigerian people.
He said that many people do not see it this way, but it is one of the most serious problems facing the country.
Prof. Nebo questioned how INEC could claim technical issues during the presidential election results transmission, while there were no such problems for the Senate and House of Representatives elections held on the same day.
He accused INEC of being compromised and said it had lost the trust of the public, according to him, the hope that people had in the electoral process in 2023 was destroyed overnight when it became clear that their votes did not count.
Looking ahead, Prof. Nebo warned that the 2027 elections may face the same fate unless urgent steps are taken.
“I keep saying that the greatest coup d’etat is not military coup but the truncation of the will of the people during elections. A coup d’etat is taking away a government but an electoral coup d’etat is sweeping away the will of an entire nation. But how many people look at it that way? So, we have a serious problem,” he said.
