Tope Balogun, the governorship candidate of the Action Alliance (AA) in the 2023 election in Lagos state, has said the African Democratic Congress (ADC)–led opposition coalition is good for the country’s democracy.

Balogun described the adoption of ADC by the coalition as a healthy sign for democracy and a move that could promote broader political engagement across the country’s multi-party system.

Legit.ng recalls that in July, leaders of the coalition convened at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, where they formally adopted the ADC as their platform to challenge President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

The event saw Ralph Nwosu hand over the party’s membership card to David Mark and Rauf Aregbesola, who were introduced as the national chairman and national secretary, respectively.

Speaking in an interview with Legit.ng, Balogun said:

"In a democracy, people have the liberty to associate and dissociate. Hence, anyone or group coming together to align towards a political interest can be seen as exercising their fundamental rights, especially as citizens of Nigeria. Long before this new coalition, many of such had happened in the past in different patterns, and I have participated in such formations severally, including when the ruling party was formed, where I served as a prominent member of the Lagos state merger committee, being the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) state secretary.

"The present coalition is a good idea for our democratic survival as a nation, and I have had contact with some major stakeholders of the coalition at varying periods."

Balogun, however, said his official proclamation of any political party will be largely dependent on what his team eventually opt for when it finishes analysing its views "with high consideration of our masses-oriented interest."

He said: "We are ideologically attached to what we stand for, that is, the welfare of the common man, which must not be jeopardised in the long run."

Since the advent of Nigeria's 26-year democracy, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the national assembly have reformed election laws and regulations before and after every general election. These amendments are designed to address the flaws experienced in previous elections.

As more reforms are introduced in the electoral process, Balogun wades in. He reasoned:

"From my perception, I believe the reforms that have been made over the years had been better than the previous ones and can always be improved upon based on changing situations and realities. Though, what I have seen to be a major bane of their extraordinary successes is sabotage due to a lack of political will to really get the best out of the reforms. Hence, the first major reform will be the true independence of the electoral commission and the determination to go all out and follow all documented due process without undue compromises."

Meanwhile, Balogun called for a few additions to be made to the electioneering process to improve upon the existing system in its true form.

He stated: "Electronic transmission of results from polling units in real time and public access to view platforms that show what is input on the collation database so as to remove undue late collation of results and possible manipulation/alterations must be prioritised. I am aware INEC already did a pilot test of such result-viewing tools, and their success only needed to be upscale. There might be claims of the challenges of technological gadgets, which, for me, is not tenable because most of the voter registrations were done through technology.

"Moreover, the event, which is often held once in four years to determine those who manage both human and non-human resources of the nation, needs to be well invested in so that the intent of adopting democracy as a way of choosing our leaders can be attained to its best merit.

"Finally, the election petition timeline should be faster so that governance would not be slowed down due to distractions or truncated due to the ousting of inaugurated officials by the court."

In office since May 2023, President Tinubu has defended his economic reforms multiple times, which have included a partial end to petrol and electricity subsidies and devaluation of the naira, as necessary to reverse years of economic mismanagement. While explaining that the austerity measures are "a necessary pill", Balogun cautioned Nigeria's leaders.

He said: "I am deeply convinced that addressing the current economic challenges can be achieved, given the resilient nature of Nigerians, if given the enabling environment and right leadership that will display in practice why some sacrifices are generally necessary by all and sundry, as exemplified by the leadership to be easily acknowledged by the followers and accepted as a way to go. The austerity measures are a necessary pill, but not to be administered to followers while the leadership display affluence with crass insensitivity to the effect of such on the psyche of the citizenry."

Furthermore, the gubernatorial hopeful asserted that Nigeria can thrive if citizens reduce the importation model and tend towards local production with many incentives and supports for the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).

Balogun added: "Funnily, you read the availability of many of these incentives for small and medium businesses, but mostly inaccessible due to inadequate publicity as much as high-level nepotism."