Isaac Fayose, the younger brother of former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, has alleged that democracy has collapsed in Nigeria, claiming that the judiciary now determines the country’s political leadership rather than the electoral process.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Wednesday, Fayose argued that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) no longer plays a decisive role in Nigeria’s elections.
According to him, the increasing number of election disputes resolved by the courts has undermined democratic governance.
“There is nothing like INEC or democracy in Nigeria. What we have now is government of the court, by the court and for the court,” he said.
Fayose further claimed that every presidential election over the past 12 years has ultimately been decided through legal battles, insisting that the judiciary has become the institution responsible for determining Nigeria’s leaders.
“In the last 12 years, all the presidents have been to court. So, it’s the judiciary that has been giving us presidents. We’re no longer practicing democracy,” he stated.
Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, Fayose predicted that the outcome would once again be settled in court rather than at the ballot box.
“We’re looking to 2027, but it will still end up in court. We will have a coronation. We have dictators who are not in military uniforms,” he added.
He also accused the government of weakening opposition political parties, specifically mentioning the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), alleging that both parties had been politically sidelined.
“They have taken them to square zero,” Fayose said.