• Atiku insists Nigeria’s democracy at crossroads
From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Labour Party (LP) 2023 presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has dissociated himself from any political coalition that would have single mission of grabbing power during the 2027 general election.
He said the country at the moment needs more than mere grabbing of power.
He argued that previous coalition in Nigeria’s politics has basically been for the purpose of power grabbing, stressing that he cannot imagine a situation politicians abandon the country to collapse in a desperation to grab political power.
He spoke on the sideline of a National Conference on titled, ‘Strengthening Democracy in Nigeria’ in Abuja yesterday.
Obi contended that democracy has collapsed in the country, lamenting that the effects of it could be seen in the daily living and bleak future of Nigerian children.
On the proposed coalition, the former Anambra governor, replied: ‘For me, what is important is about the country. We must talk about the future of Nigeria. We abandoned the country and all we talk about now is power grabbing.
‘I am not interested in any coalition for the purpose of taking power. It is about discussing Nigeria, how we care about securing Nigeria, care about the common people in the country and their education. That is the most important thing in Nigeria for now.
‘The conversation has been on for a long time.
It is now time for us to take action because you can see where it brought us to. We now live in an insecure country. We now live in a country that is everyday breeding poverty. People are suffering. So many people don’t know where the next meal will come from,” he lamented.
While urging all Nigerians to get involved in strengthening democracy, Obi said: “We have seen that whatever happens in democracy affects the citizens. It affects their daily living and the future of their children. So, we must all now get involved to make it because we know that it’s not working in Nigeria.”
He also frowned against the increasing cases of monetisation of politics, stressing: “That is what we need to remove, because what you are doing is that you are encouraging stealing of public money. Because if I steal it and use it to win an election, then I get all the power and everything, including immunity not to be prosecuted. So we must stop it. That is what is driving the stealing.
On the biggest takeaway from the Ghanaian experience where the former vice president and candidate conceded defeat, Obi said: “It is about the will of the people. People must be in charge. It is about serving the people, and that is most critical.”
In his contribution as a thematic discussant, former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, emphasised that Nigeria democracy is at crossroads.
“There’s no doubt that our democracy is at a crossroads. Put simply, it is at the risk of eroding completely. And it is not caused by one single person or one single administration.
“In fact, a number of us have been warning over the years that we may come to this pass if we lose our vigilance and fail to take corrective actions to protect and deepen our democracy.
“At the risk of sounding modest, I doubt that there are many contemporary senior political leaders who have spoken out and done more to promote democratic governance in our country than me. In addition to public statements and presentations, I brought some actions to our courts which produced landmark judicial decisions intended to uphold democratic principles and practices,” he said.
. Ex-Ghana VP: why he conceded defeat
Immediate past Vice President of Ghana, Mahamudu Bawumia, who delivered the Keynote address said the rising fragility of democracy in Africa calls for urgent concerns, revealing that he deliberately conceded defeat to John Mahama after the Ghana election in December last year to reduce the rising tension in the country.
“The year 2024 has been described as the year of political disruption because out of elections held in 60 countries, incumbents lost 80 per cent, largely on account of increased cost of living following the COVID-19 pandemic amongst others.
“We have seen major examples in countries like South Africa, U.K., USA, Japan, India, Botswana and Senegal. In Ghana, the presidential and parliamentary elections were held last month. As an incumbent Vice-President, I was also the ruling party candidate for the Presidency. Before the election, there was the usual anxiety expressed by the opposition, as well as the diplomatic community about the transparency, credibility and fairness of the impending election.
“The opposition claimed that the government had a plan to rig the election. I believe this is a standard claim by all opposition parties in any election in Africa. Frankly, notwithstanding the above, I was confident in Ghana’s electoral process, as the Electoral Commission had demonstrated fairness and transparency. In addition to this, I was confident of winning the election on December 7, based on the solid record of achievement of our government, notwithstanding the economic challenges.
“However, when the polls closed and counting began, we started receiving the results from our party’s collation centers across the country. By 3,00am on Sunday, it was obvious from the data that my opponent, former President Mahama, had decisively won the election.
“I knew it would take between 48-72 hours for the Electoral Commission to announce the official results. I was cognisant of the tension and potential violence that could result if there was a long-drawn-out process of announcing the results.
“Indeed, the tension had begun to mount. I therefore took the decision to hold a press conference at 9am the next morning to concede the election to my opponent even before the EC had announced any collated official results.
“I was very confident that our data collation was correct. I believed that my concession within 14 hours of the close of polls was in the supreme interest of Ghana’s democracy and peace. The people had decided, and we had to respect their decision without equivocation,” he explained.
. Barons, warlords seize political parties
Jibrin Ibrahim, who presented the lead paper, titled: Democracy in Nigeria: Challenges, prospects and the 2027 elections, lamented that the most serious threat to democracy in Nigeria is the way the party system has developed.
He explained that the key characteristic is that political parties do not have genuine members but barons, warlords who impose their interests on the parties.
“People are interested in access to power with no commitment to what democracy is supposed to provide.
Nigerians are becoming concerned about the state of democracy and challenges it has faced. But something reassuring is that in spite of the challenges, hope isn’t lost.
“One of the problems we have had is the disruption of the democratic order by institutions that are supposed to protect it. The most serious threat is the way the party system has developed. The key characteristic is that parties don’t have members but barons, warlords who impose their interests.
“The political parties that we have lost their identities in terms of their manifestoes and what they stand for. The moment people can identify what parties stand for, it becomes impossible to have democratic commitment,” he said.
In his welcome address, leader of the five Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) that convened the event, Otive Igbuzor, said the gathering marked not just an event, but the launch of a crucial initiative aimed at tackling the pressing challenges that threaten the very foundation of democracy in our country.
“As conveners, we have assembled to address the complexities and setbacks Nigeria’s democratic system currently faces, with the purpose of finding actionable solutions that can restore and strengthen our national governance.
“The very purpose of this conference lies in a vision for a democracy that is genuine, resilient, and inclusive. As many of us know, Nigeria’s democratic journey, though spanning 25 years of uninterrupted civilian rule, is beset by structural and functional flaws.
“These range from electoral malpractices, ineffective political parties, and weakened governance structures to pervasive corruption and a concerning erosion of public trust. Despite decades of democratic practice, the realities faced by Nigerians today often reflect disillusionment rather than hope.
“The goal of this conference, therefore, is to reignite hope, rebuild trust, and lay out a road map toward a strengthened democratic system that serves all Nigerians with integrity and accountability,” he said.
