Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, says democracy is dying in Nigeria because it no longer serves the people or holds leaders accountable.
Obi spoke on Wednesday at the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation
Annual Democracy Dialogue in Accra, Ghana, with the theme ‘What Makes Democracy
Die?’
He said democracy “dies when it ceases to be accountable to
the people and when it no longer prioritises their needs”.
The ex-Anambra governor described Nigeria as a “typical
example of where democracy is dying”, adding that it has become a process of
“elite state capture” for personal and family interests.
“Today, 17th September, I participated in an international
Conference in Accra, Ghana, organised by the 2025 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation
Annual Democracy Dialogue with the theme ‘What Makes Democracy Die?,” Obi wrote
on X.
“Democracy is fundamentally about accountability,
prioritising service to the people, ensuring security, providing education and
healthcare, and lifting people out of poverty.
“Democracy dies when it ceases to be accountable to the
people and when it no longer prioritises their needs.
“Nigeria is a typical example of where democracy is dying
because it no longer serves the needs of the people and is no longer
accountable to them.
“In Nigeria, democracy has become a process of elite state
capture, granting access to public resources for personal and family interests.”
He said reversing the trend requires citizens to take
elections seriously by electing leaders with competence, capacity, character,
compassion, and commitment to service.
The opposition politician’s comment comes as President Bola Tinubu lifts the six-month emergency rule imposed on Rivers state.
Obi said the emergency rule was a misstep.
“The restoration of democracy in Rivers State after six
months of needless disruption remains a sour side of our democracy today,” he
added.
“It was a constitutional breach that will hurt our democracy
for a long time. I just hope that some lessons were learned by all the
gladiators in the Rivers State impasse.
“Great minds remind us that ‘the only real mistake is the
one from which we learn nothing’. A true leader is the one who admits his/her
mistakes, is smart enough to learn from them, and is strong enough to correct
them.”
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