Are We Truly Democratic? Peter Obi Asks as Nigeria Marks 25 Years of Uninterrupted Democracy
As Nigeria commemorates 25 years of uninterrupted democracy today, June 12, 2024, Peter Obi, the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the last general election, has called into question the country’s democratic credentials. In a statement on his X handle, marking the country’s Democracy Day on June 12, Obi lamented that despite two and a half decades of democratic rule, Nigeria has failed to deliver on the promise of true democracy.
“As our dear nation marks Democracy Day today, commemorating 25 years of striving to be a democratic country, the fundamental question for all of us remains: Are we truly democratic?, Obi asked.
“Democracy, as we know, is the government of the people, by the people, and for the people,” Obi said. “But instead of benefiting all, it has become a deprivation to all.”
While Nigeria returned to democracy rule in 1999 after decades of military rule, Obi pointed to Nigeria’s low ranking on various global indices, including the Democracy Index, Corruption Perception Index, Rule of Law Measurement, and Global Hunger Index, as evidence of the country’s democratic shortcomings.
“In the measurement of democracy, we have a democracy index score of 4.23, which ranks us low on the Global Democracy Index. In the Corruption Perception Index, we are ranked 145th among the 180 countries measured, showing a high level of corruption in Nigeria. In the Rule of Law Measurement, we are ranked 120th out of 142 countries measured in the World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index, indicating that Nigeria suffers from gross disobedience to the rule of law.”
Obi also drew attention to the challenges faced by journalists in the country, citing the 2024 World Press Freedom Index, which describes Nigeria as one of West Africa’s most dangerous and difficult countries for journalists.
“Nigeria ranks 112th out of 180 countries where journalists are regularly monitored, attacked, and arbitrarily arrested,” Obi said, adding that if the country must stand and defend democracy, then “we must respect and protect the institutions of the democratic state, obey the governing laws of the state, be accountable to the people, and fulfill the responsibilities of responsible governance as contained in the constitution.”
The former Governor of Anambra State noted that as the country “builds a new Nigeria, these tenets shall be the pillars of our true democracy. It is possible.”
