Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has described Nigeria as a “typical example of where democracy is dying,” citing a lack of accountability and elite capture of the state.
Obi made the remark at the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Annual Democracy Dialogue in Accra, Ghana, with the theme “What Makes Democracy Die?”
At the programme, which held on Wednesday, the former Anambra State governor said democracy dies when it no longer serves the people or prioritises their needs.
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“Democracy is fundamentally about accountability, prioritising service to the people, ensuring security, providing education and healthcare, and lifting people out of poverty,” Obi said. “Democracy dies when it ceases to be accountable to the people and when it no longer prioritises their needs.”
He argued that in Nigeria, democracy has become a tool for elite state capture, granting access to public resources for personal and family interests. He called on citizens to take elections more seriously by electing leaders with competence, capacity, character, compassion, and commitment to service.
Obi also criticised the six-month emergency rule recently lifted in Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu, describing it as a misstep and a constitutional breach.
“The restoration of democracy in Rivers State after six months of needless disruption remains a sour side of our democracy today,” he said. “I just hope that some lessons were learned by all the gladiators in the Rivers State impasse.”
He added that true leadership requires admitting mistakes, learning from them, and making corrections for the sake of democratic growth.