2027: CSOs warn against imposition of candidates

By Florencemary Nwabueze

A coalition of civil society organizations, under the aegis of  Nsukka Democratic Movement, NDM, has warned  political actors within and outside Enugu North senatorial district against what it described as coordinated and deliberate attempt to impose candidates and undermine democratic processes, ahead of upcoming elections in the zone.

In a statement signed by the Secretary General, James Ezema, NDM said the stake was beyond routine electoral contests, stressing that “what is at stake is not merely the outcome of upcoming elections, but the very soul of democracy in Nsukka zone.”

It accused unnamed actors of orchestrating “backroom arrangements designed to pre-determine candidates and, by extension, electoral outcomes.”

Describing the development as alarming, NDM declared:  “The emerging pattern is no longer speculative, it is structured, deliberate and increasingly brazen.” 

While warning that such practices represented a direct assault on democratic norms, it stated:  “Elections are meant to be competitive, participatory and reflective of the people’s will, not ceremonial endorsements of decisions concluded in private rooms.  Nsukka people cannot and will not be reduced to passive endorsers of elite agreements.”

The coalition questioned the legitimacy of any candidate produced through such processes, stating unequivocally that “any candidate who emerges through imposition, rather than transparent and participatory processes, will lack legitimacy in the eyes of the people, regardless of the eventual declaration of results.”

It also warned political elites within the zone, declaring that the era of what it described as “political feudalism” had come to and end, criticising the notion that influence or proximity to power conferred authority to dictate electoral outcomes.

“Nsukka is not a political estate to be inherited, shared or allocated.  It is a politically conscious society with a long tradition of intellectual independence and civic awareness,’’ the coalition stated.

It warned that attempts by a narrow circle of actors to impose candidates or dictate party preferences amounted to “political feudalism, which has no place in a modern democratic order.”