Jonathan Predicts dark days ahead of 2027 elections

• Says Politicians now rely on manipulated courts for victory rather than the ballot box

Nigerian former President Goodluck Jonathan has warned that Nigeria’s democracy faces a deepening legitimacy crisis if the judiciary continues to determine electoral winners instead of the ballot box, declaring that politicians now rush to court after elections because they believe judges can be manipulated to overturn the will of the people.

Jonathan spoke on Wednesday at the opening ceremony of the Nigerian Bar Association Abuja Law Week 2026, held at the NBA House in Abuja, under the theme, ‘Safeguarding Nigeria’s Democratic Process’.

Attending as Special Guest of Honour, the former president used the occasion to deliver what amounted to a pointed diagnosis of the systemic ailments threatening the country’s democratic foundations ahead of the 2027 general elections, touching on judicial independence, electoral integrity, voter apathy, political thuggery and the urgent need for institutional reform.

Jonathan painted a stark picture of a country where post-election litigation has become so normalised that it now constitutes a parallel system of determining political power.