Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olisa Agbakoba, has questioned the level of political awareness among Nigerian voters and suggested that the country may eventually need to consider stricter voter eligibility standards.
He argued that widespread vote-buying and low political education have weakened democratic accountability and allowed poor leadership choices to thrive.
Agbakoba spoke on Monday during an interview on Frontline, a public affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, monitored by our correspondent in Abeokuta.
According to him, many politicians intentionally avoid educating voters because politically informed citizens are more likely to challenge bad governance and reject inducement politics.
“If we continue with this, because the honest truth is this: 99 percent of those who hold voter cards have no clue what they are doing. They have no clue. All those my old aunties in my village in Onitsha, they have no idea what’s happening. Yet they all carry voter cards, and you give them two thousand naira and they vote anyhow they like.”
He also expressed concern over the quality of Nigeria’s political class and electoral process, arguing that political recruitment has become dangerously weak and largely driven by money rather than competence.
He lamented that individuals facing criminal allegations or lacking governance capacity are still able to contest for office without meaningful scrutiny from political institutions or voters.
Responding to questions on how Nigeria can attract better leaders, he said the current system rewards lawlessness, financial influence, and political manipulation rather than competence and public service.
He said, “No, no, answer it yourself. You have raised the issue yourself. You’ve just said that convicts are also vying. So what do you want me to say? That’s it.”
The constitutional lawyer maintained that Nigeria’s governance crisis will persist unless political actors begin to understand the constitutional limits of public office and the obligations attached to leadership.
According to him, separation of powers exists only on paper because many office holders do not believe they are bound by constitutional restraints.
Agbakoba stated, “The rule of law is not followed. Trust me, that is the absolute gospel truth. The rule of law is not followed. And that is why I reverse the process by saying it’s more important to have people who understand the constitution, mean well for Nigerians, understand that the purpose of being in office is limited to their function as either executive, judicial, or legislative officers, and that they will obey it.”
