By Hosea Parah

As Nigeria prepares for the 2027 general elections, a public affairs advocate, Clement Nwankwo, has urged citizens to move beyond complaints about the country’s challenges and embrace informed participation, responsible voting and sustained accountability.

Nwankwo said Nigerians must transform their concerns about the economy, insecurity, corruption, infrastructure and public services into concrete democratic actions capable of influencing leadership and governance.

He made the call on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, as quest Speaker at the 8th Annual Lecture of the “Just Friends Club of Nigeria” in Abuja, where he challenged citizens to reconsider their roles in the electoral process.

In his paper titled “From Concern to Action: Making Our Votes Count in the 2027 General Election,” Nwankwo said the country was approaching another critical electoral period amid widespread concerns about economic hardship, insecurity, unemployment and the performance of public institutions.

He, however, cautioned against allowing frustration to translate into political apathy, arguing that citizens must take responsibility for shaping the country’s democratic future.

“Concern alone will not change Nigeria. Anger alone will not change Nigeria. Complaints alone will not change Nigeria,” he said, stressing that withdrawing from the democratic process would not necessarily improve the country’s situation.

According to him, the 2027 elections should provide an opportunity for Nigerians to demand leadership that is effective, ethical and accountable.

Nwankwo noted that although Nigeria had recorded improvements in some macroeconomic indicators following recent reforms, many households continued to experience difficulties with food prices, transportation, electricity bills, school fees, rent and employment.

He argued that economic progress should not be measured solely by indicators such as gross domestic product, foreign reserves and exchange-rate stability, but also by the extent to which ordinary citizens experienced improvements in their living conditions.

He said the central challenge for the government was translating economic stabilisation into broadly shared prosperity.

“The democratic question is how do we move from macroeconomic stabilisation to broadly shared prosperity?” he asked.

The speaker also emphasised the importance of security, describing it as a fundamental requirement for economic growth and community development.

He observed that farmers who could not safely access their farms, traders unable to transport goods and businesses operating under threats of violence were unlikely to contribute effectively to national prosperity.

Nwankwo therefore urged citizens to demand clear and measurable security commitments from political parties and candidates, adding that voters should hold elected officials accountable for their performance after assuming office.

On infrastructure, he said government performance was often judged by citizens through the condition of roads, availability of electricity and water, access to healthcare, quality of schools and the effectiveness of public transportation.

He described infrastructure as an essential component of the social contract between government and citizens, noting that public services must reflect the expectations and needs of the people.

The speaker also called for greater transparency in public expenditure, insisting that Nigerians had a legitimate right to know how public funds were being spent and whether government contracts and programmes were delivering value.

He maintained that the fight against corruption must go beyond political rhetoric to include effective institutional oversight, access to information and sanctions for wrongdoing.

Nwankwo, however, acknowledged that Nigeria had undertaken significant economic reforms since 2023, including changes to the foreign-exchange regime, fuel subsidy policy and public finances.

He said such reforms had contributed to improvements in macroeconomic stability, but stressed the need for social protection, accountability and inclusive policies to ensure that their benefits reached ordinary citizens.

Turning to the 2027 elections, Nwankwo urged Nigerians to assess candidates based on their records, competence, integrity and policy proposals rather than relying exclusively on political party affiliation, ethnic identity, religion or immediate personal benefits.

He said voters should examine candidates’ previous performance, qualifications, priorities and the feasibility of their campaign promises, including how proposed programmes would be financed.

According to him, citizens must shift from asking which candidate belongs to their preferred political party to determining who is best positioned to serve the public interest.

He also urged Nigerians to reject vote-buying, electoral violence and misinformation, while participating peacefully in the electoral process and reporting irregularities through appropriate channels.

Nwankwo stressed that the responsibilities of citizens extended beyond Election Day, warning against the tendency of voters to disengage from public affairs after election results were announced.

He said citizens should continue monitoring the activities of elected representatives, scrutinising government expenditure, assessing the implementation of campaign promises and demanding answers on issues affecting their communities.

“Election Day is not the end of citizenship. It is the beginning of accountability,” he said.

The speaker challenged participants at the lecture to reflect on what they could do differently ahead of the 2027 elections, including registering to vote, studying candidates’ manifestos, rejecting misinformation and remaining engaged with government between elections.

He also raised questions about citizens’ biggest concerns, the responsibilities of government in addressing them and the criteria that should determine their choices of candidates.

Nwankwo said such conversations were necessary to move public discourse from complaints about political leadership to constructive engagement and democratic responsibility.

He concluded that Nigerians should approach the 2027 elections with neither blind optimism nor hopeless cynicism, but with a clear understanding of the country’s challenges, recognition of progress made and a commitment to scrutinising those seeking public office.

He said the country’s democratic future depended not only on the quality of its elected leaders but also on the willingness of citizens to remain informed, participate actively and demand accountability.

“Our votes matter. But our citizenship must matter every day,” Nwankwo said.