Elections Are Imperfect, Fashola Urges Opposition to Accept Outcomes

Former Lagos State Governor and ex-Minister of Works, Housing and Power, Babatunde Fashola, has urged Nigerians and political actors to recognise that elections are inherently imperfect and focus on strengthening democratic institutions rather than constantly disputing electoral outcomes.

Fashola made the remarks on Friday while speaking at The Platform, a public policy forum held in Lagos as part of activities commemorating Democracy Day.

According to him, the complexity involved in conducting nationwide elections makes it difficult to achieve absolute perfection, especially in a country as large and diverse as Nigeria.

He explained that presidential elections require extensive logistical coordination across thousands of polling units nationwide, with election officials expected to carry out identical procedures simultaneously under varying conditions.

“Elections are an imperfect event because they require a large logistical operation across a federation,” Fashola said.

The former minister noted that challenges encountered during elections should be viewed within the context of the scale of the exercise, stressing that no electoral authority can completely eliminate operational difficulties.

“The reality of a presidential election is that all polling units across the nation have to be doing the same thing at the same time. The question then is how we assign blame when things go wrong, especially when the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission cannot be everywhere at the same time,” he stated.

Fashola argued that electoral imperfections are not unique to Nigeria, pointing out that established democracies around the world also experience challenges but continue working to improve their electoral systems over time.

According to him, mature democracies acknowledge shortcomings while maintaining confidence in democratic institutions and accepting election outcomes.

“In other jurisdictions, they accept these imperfections and aspire to improve, but they also accept the results,” he said.

The former governor also expressed concern over what he described as a growing reluctance among some political actors to accept election outcomes, warning that such attitudes could undermine democratic development.

He said opposition parties play a critical role in democratic governance and should remain committed to holding governments accountable and contributing to national progress even when they do not win elections.

Fashola further stressed that democracy extends beyond voting and election contests, urging Nigerians to engage in broader discussions about governance, accountability, and democratic values.

“If we are to discuss democracy beyond elections, the question I ask is: What kind of democracy do we want?” he asked.

He maintained that the strength of democracy lies not only in elections but also in the ability of institutions, leaders, and citizens to uphold democratic principles after the polls.