Jega, Gambari, Others Warn of National Crisis as Executive Power Goes Unchecked  

By Joseph Sunday  

A coalition of prominent Nigerian statesmen and academics has raised alarm over what it describes as a national crisis driven by unchecked executive power, warning that Nigeria’s democracy and stability are at a dangerous crossroads.

The group, which includes former INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Muhammadu Jega, OFR, and former UN Under-Secretary-General, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, CON, said rising insecurity, electoral manipulation, and the erosion of democratic institutions now threaten the country’s survival.  

“The constitutional principle of separation of powers is under grave threat,” the coalition said in a joint statement released Wednesday where they also alleged that 

“Checks and balances have broken down.”  

According to the signatories, the legislature is now under near-total control of the executive, while “the judiciary appears to have lost both independence and integrity,” leaving the executive to govern without accountability. The group noted that key institutions have been compromised and subordinated to executive interests, fueling “the highest level of public distrust in our history.”  

Dr. Husseini Abdu, one of the signatories, emphasized that this breakdown has deepened political exclusion and impunity, with “violent extremism, organized crime, and communal conflict nearing a tipping point.”  

Sahel Link and Regional Security:

The coalition tied Nigeria’s internal crisis to wider Sahel instability, stating that terrorism, arms trafficking, unconstitutional changes of government, and porous borders in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger are worsening insecurity in Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin. “The collapse of regional cooperation emboldens armed groups and weakens state authority,” the statement read.  

To reverse the decline, the group urged the Federal Government to “urgently restore democratic accountability, judicial independence, and the rule of law.” It called for electoral processes that are “transparent, credible, and free from executive interference.”  

Recommendations made at the end of the coalition’s meeting emphasized the need to immediately appoint a high level special envoy for the Sahel to rebuild trust between Nigeria, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), and ECOWAS.” 

Professor Jibrin Ibrahim, another signatory, said the government “must acknowledge that Sahel insecurity fuels Nigeria’s crisis, and that rapprochement between AES and ECOWAS is in Nigeria’s national interest.”  

One of the coalition’s stakeholders, Dr Usman Bugaje further recommended need for the Civil Society Organisations to be mobilized to “build public demand for accountability” as Nigerians defend civic rights.   

On the private sector action, business leaders demanded accountable governance and the rule of law as foundations for economic progress in the Country. 

Addressing issues on the judicial integrity, another coalition member, Abubakar Balarabe Mahmoud, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria advised the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to enforce professional conduct and the National Judicial Council to “hold judges accountable for electoral decisions.”

On the 2027 general elections, given INEC’s “perceived lack of neutrality and competence,” the NBA, unions, and civic groups must engage the electoral body to “ensure free, fair, credible elections.”

The group also called on traditional and religious leaders to “promote peaceful coexistence, solidarity, and inter-faith dialogue to curb criminality and disorder.”  

The statement was signed by Dr. Husseini Abdu; Amb. Fatima Balla, OON; Dr. Usman Bugaje; Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, CON; Dr. Yahaya Hashim; Prof. Jibrin Ibrahim; Prof. Attahiru Muhammadu Jega, OFR; Prof. Mohammed Kuna; Abubakar Balarabe Mahmoud, SAN, OON; and Mal Kabiru Yusuf.