Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has condemned Nigeria’s electoral system, arguing that persistent failures in conducting credible polls stem from a deeper crisis of leadership rather than technical limitations.

In a statement titled Tale of Two Nations Continues, Obi drew a stark comparison between Nigeria and India, describing India’s electoral process as a model for democracies despite its enormous scale.

He noted that India manages elections for nearly one billion registered voters, with more than 60 per cent actively participating. The country operates over one million polling stations and thousands of political parties, yet still deploys technology that allows electronic transmission of results within days.

By contrast, Obi said Nigeria, with roughly one-seventh of India’s population, has about 93 million registered voters, less than 10 per cent of India’s voter base, and far fewer polling units and political parties. Even with this smaller system, he lamented, the country continues to falter.

It is deeply troubling that we still struggle to conduct elections, even when we record voter turnout below 20 per cent, he said, stressing that Nigeria remains unable to consistently deliver free, fair and credible elections or transmit results promptly.

For Obi, the core problem is not infrastructure but governance. The difference is leadership, he argued, praising India’s political class, legislators and judiciary for working tirelessly for the welfare of their people and the future of their children.

In Nigeria, he countered, many political figures implement policies that impoverish the people and threaten the future of our children. He urged citizens to demand leaders who put the people first, govern with integrity and plan for a better tomorrow.

Obi’s intervention comes as the National Assembly debates fresh amendments to the Electoral Act. The Senate and House of Representatives have set up conference committees to reconcile differences in their respective versions of the bill.

The House approved real-time electronic transmission of election results, while the Senate backed electronic transmission to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal but retained manual collation as a backup where technology fails.

Tensions flared in the House as lawmakers clashed over a proposal to repeal the 2022 Electoral Act amendment and replace it with a new 2026 framework. The conference committees are expected to harmonise the contentious provisions before the legislation moves to the next stage.