‘Electoral Fraud Breeds Leadership Failure’

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

A former senator and governance advocate, Senator Ikechukwu Obiora, yesterday warned that Nigeria’s persistent leadership crisis is a direct product of decades of electoral failure, arguing that credible and accountable leaders cannot emerge from compromised electoral processes.

Obiora spoke in Abuja at the launch of Leadership 365, a new book by renowned leadership scholar and motivational speaker, Prof. Linus Okorie, where he traced the country’s governance challenges to the early normalisation of electoral malpractice after independence.

According to him, Nigeria’s political system laid a faulty foundation by turning elections into tools of manipulation rather than authentic expressions of the people’s will, a trend he said has endured across successive political eras.

Obiora said: “The foundations of today’s systemic crisis were laid when elections became instruments of manipulation instead of platforms for popular choice.”

 He added that persistent electoral fraud has produced leaders who feel little obligation to the electorate.

He argued that the failure of elections has weakened institutional integrity, eroded public trust and entrenched a culture of impunity among political elites, stressing that leadership failure in Nigeria is fundamentally political and institutional, not generational.

 Addressing concerns about declining values among young Nigerians, Obiora rejected narratives that place the blame solely on the youth, insisting that moral decay is closely linked to the conduct of political leaders.

He said: “The erosion of values among young people is inseparable from the actions of political elites who have weakened public trust.

 “For progress to occur, there must be an enabling and peaceful environment that rewards integrity and accountability.”

He also expressed skepticism about reform efforts focused mainly on electoral technology, warning that no technological solution can substitute for institutional independence and neutrality.

“No system, however sophisticated, can deliver credible elections if those administering it are not neutral and independent.

 He called  for a genuinely autonomous electoral management body as a prerequisite for national renewal.

 In his remarks, Senator Osita Izunasor said Nigeria’s leadership challenges would persist until the country shifts its focus from the struggle for political positions to the cultivation of selfless, service-oriented leaders.

 Izunasor stressed that leadership is not synonymous with holding public office, noting that occupying a position does not automatically confer leadership.

 He said: “You can never have good governance without true leaders. Leadership is not something you assume because you are in office. It is about selflessness and service.”

While expressing optimism about Nigeria’s future, Izunasor said deliberate mentorship by experienced leaders was critical to preparing younger generations for responsible leadership. 

 He strongly recommended Leadership 365, describing its emphasis on daily leadership practice as a reminder that values must be lived consistently.

“Leadership must be applied every day, in every decision we make,” he said.

 Earlier, Prof. Okorie said Leadership 365 was conceived as a practical response to declining reading culture and shallow engagement with leadership knowledge in Africa.

 He explained that the book, which represents 31 years of research and mentoring, contains 365 short chapters, each dedicated to a specific leadership competency to be studied and applied daily.

“The idea is simple: one chapter a day, reflection, application and growth,” Okorie said, adding that consistent engagement would shift readers from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.

 Describing the book as a daily leadership manual for political leaders, professionals and emerging talents, Okorie expressed hope that it would be adopted by educational institutions to instil leadership values early.

 “This is my gift to Nigeria, Africa and the world,” he said, noting that gradual, consistent learning remains the most effective path to building ethical and competent leaders.