‘Stop faulting outcome, elections are imperfect’ – Fashola tells opposition
By Enitan Abdultawab
Former Governor of Lagos State and former Minister of Works, Housing and Power, Babatunde Fashola, has stated that elections are naturally imperfect processes, calling on Nigerians to appreciate the challenges involved in organizing nationwide polls and to place greater emphasis on strengthening democratic institutions beyond election periods.
Fashola made the remarks on Friday during his address at The Platform, a public policy forum held in Lagos as part of activities commemorating Democracy Day.
According to him, elections—especially presidential polls—require extensive planning and logistics, making it difficult to achieve flawless outcomes.
“Elections are not perfect events because they involve large-scale logistical operations across a federation,” Fashola said.
Highlighting the complexities of conducting elections across the country, he explained that thousands of polling units must carry out identical procedures simultaneously, often under different conditions and circumstances.
“The reality of a presidential election is that polling units nationwide must be performing the same tasks at the same time. The question is how blame should be apportioned when issues arise, particularly when the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission cannot physically be present everywhere at once,” he said.
Fashola noted that challenges associated with elections are not exclusive to Nigeria, stressing that many democratic nations acknowledge imperfections in their electoral systems while continuously working to improve them.
He explained that mature democracies recognise that elections may not always be flawless, yet they focus on strengthening institutions and processes instead of eroding public confidence in democratic outcomes.
“In many countries, people accept these imperfections and continue striving for improvement, while also respecting the results,” he added.
The former minister also expressed concern over what he described as a growing tendency among some politicians to reject election outcomes, warning that such attitudes could hinder democratic progress.
“It appears that an unwillingness to accept election results often prevents unsuccessful candidates from embracing the important role of opposition in advancing societal development,” he said.
According to Fashola, opposition parties and politicians play an essential role in democratic governance and should not measure their relevance solely by electoral victories or defeats.
He further emphasized that democracy goes beyond the conduct of elections, urging both citizens and political leaders to engage in broader discussions about the type of democratic system Nigeria hopes to build.
“If we are to look at democracy beyond elections, then we must ask ourselves: what kind of democracy do we truly want?” he queried.
Fashola’s comments formed part of wider discussions at The Platform on the state of democracy in Nigeria, governance, accountability, and the responsibilities of both leaders and citizens in sustaining democratic institutions.
He maintained that while elections remain a fundamental pillar of democracy, the real measure of democratic maturity lies in the ability of institutions, political actors, and citizens to uphold democratic principles long after the election process has ended.