Russian strategist praises Nigeria’s capacity to manage electoral disagreements

Russian political psychologist and campaign strategist Valentin Bianki has praised Nigeria’s capacity to manage competing political interests and navigate electoral disagreements, calling it a key element of the country’s democratic resilience.

Mr Bianki made the observation on Monday in Abuja at the public presentation of the English edition of his book, ‘Politics in Nigeria: Elites and Voters’. He said that despite Nigeria’s relatively low scores in some international democracy indices, the country continued to demonstrate strong political competition, unpredictable electoral outcomes, and opportunities for challengers to contest established power structures.

“Nigeria’s resilience is not the absence of conflict; it is an extraordinary capacity to live with conflict,” he said.

The presentation examined Nigeria’s 2023 general elections and their implications for political mobilisation, voter behaviour, regional representation and preparations for the 2027 polls. The discussions also covered campaign strategies, the allocation of government appointments and resources, and changing patterns in the country’s political leadership.

Mr Bianki said the book provided an independent, data-driven assessment of Nigeria’s democratic experience, the changing composition of its political elite, and lessons for future elections. He identified the 2023 presidential election as the most open contest since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999, pointing to the significant support four major candidates secured across different parts of the country.

According to him, President Bola Tinubu won the election with 36.6 per cent of the votes, the lowest share recorded by a successful presidential candidate since 1999.

“My hope for Nigeria is simple: preserve stability without sacrificing democracy and preserve democracy without sacrificing stability,” he said.

Mr Bianki argued that Nigeria’s democratic progress should not be measured solely by conventional international rankings, stressing the importance of examining electoral data, political competition and the distribution of power.

(NAN)