WHEN Nigeria returned to civilian rule in 1999, hopes were high that democracy would provide stability, prosperity, and accountable governance. Twenty-six years later, that optimism is fading, with many calling for a Nigerian-style democracy that is patterned to solve our domestic challenges.
At the 60th birthday colloquium of former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, in Abuja on March 24, 2025, the country’s leading political voices engaged in a debate: Is democracy working in Nigeria, or has it already failed?
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who led Nigeria between 1999 and 2007, did not mince words. Serving as chairman of the occasion, he declared that democracy, as currently practiced in Africa, is not only failing but also “dying.”
His argument was rooted in the belief that Western liberal democracy, imported wholesale into African societies, bears little semblance to the continent’s traditions of governance.
“Democracy in Africa has failed, and why has it failed? Because in context and in content, it is not African. It does not have any aspect of our culture, our way of life, what we stand for, what we believe,” Obasanjo said.
For Obasanjo, Africa had working systems of governance before colonialism, systems that were participatory in their own right. By contrast, he argued, the current system fosters elite capture.
“Today, we have democracy, which is a government of a small number of people, by a small number of people over a large number of people, who are deprived of what they need to have in life. That is not democracy that will endure.”
He insisted that Africans must craft their own model, which he called “Afro-Democracy”, to prevent further deterioration.
Also speaking at the occasion, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, shared a grim outlook but tailored it to Nigeria’s reality.
According to Obi, who was the former governor of Anambra State, democracy in Nigeria had “collapsed,” as successive governments undermined institutions rather than building on them.
“If you looked at where we are today, it’s like they started in 1999, laid the foundation. Some people came and took it to the decking, and some people were trying to take it to the first floor when some people came and knocked everything down. That is the situation we are in now. Everything has been knocked down, and nothing works,” Obi lamented.
He recalled his own rise to office through the courts without inducement, contrasting it with today’s climate, where, he argued, judicial independence has deteriorated.
The event also provided space for those who disagreed with the idea that democracy had collapsed. Matthew Kukah, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, described democracy as “work-in-progress.”
He likened its imperfections to the U.S. Constitution, which has been amended many times since its independence.
“Democracy gives you the opportunity to try if you failed and gives you greater opportunity to correct the former mistakes,” he said.
For the vibrant clergyman, the quarrelsome nature of democracy was not a flaw but part of its resilience. The real challenge, he suggested, was in managing disputes without destroying institutions.
Former Sokoto governor, Aminu Tambuwal, echoed that view. According to him, “When we play by the rules, democracy works. Democracy is a work-in-progress,” he told the audience.
He recalled how the National Assembly followed due process when declaring states of emergency under Obasanjo, in contrast to what he described as procedural lapses in recent actions concerning Rivers State.
For Tambuwal, the survival of democracy depends less on its structure and more on the willingness of leaders to respect the rules.
Another notable Nigerian, Emeka Anyaoku, warned that the rise of military coups in sub-Saharan Africa posed a grave threat to democratic governance.
Anyaoku, a former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, also used the platform to call for urgent constitutional reforms, particularly a review of the 1999 Constitution to establish true federalism and better manage Nigeria’s diversity.
Without such reforms, he warned, Nigeria’s fragile democratic experiment could slide backwards.
CSOs, lawyers weigh in
Civil society leaders have added their voices to the chorus of concern. At a press conference in Abuja on September 10, the Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA) and the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD) warned that Nigeria’s democracy faces three critical threats: shrinking civic space, entrenched poverty, and weak trust in the electoral process.
According to Yemisi Nathaniel of WRAPA, the civic space is the heartbeat of democracy, but when it is under siege, freedoms shrink, and the foundations of participatory democracy and accountable governance are painfully eroded.
Both organisations stressed that over 133 million Nigerians live in multidimensional poverty, a condition routinely exploited during elections through vote buying. They also called for reforms in the appointment of electoral commissioners to restore confidence in the process.
Legal luminaries have also weighed in on the issue. Olisa Agbakoba, a senior advocate, told Channels TV in May that Nigeria must rethink its political system entirely.
“After more than 25 years of civilian rule, something is fundamentally wrong in a process that is not delivering,” he said.
Agbakoba argued that the western “Oyibo model” of democracy is not working in Nigeria, suggesting instead that the country needs to devise a system suited to its social and economic realities.
He cited China’s developmental model and stressed that Nigerians care less about ideological structures and more about whether leaders deliver food, housing, schools, and roads.
Democracy strong, alive in Nigeria – Presidency
The growing chorus of doubt has not gone unanswered. In April, the presidency, through Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, dismissed claims that democracy is in danger.
The government said, contrary to the false claims in circulation, democracy is not under any threat in Nigeria. He accused opposition figures of peddling alarm following defections of prominent politicians to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to him, freedom of association and freedom of speech remain intact, and under President Bola Tinubu, “democracy is strong, and the multiparty democratic system will continue to flourish unhindered.”
Factors undermining democracy – Observers
For observers of the government, the real problem lies not in the system itself but in the conduct of political actors.
Segun Adeniyi, chairman of THISDAY’s Editorial Board, said at a colloquium that democracy is designed to serve the people, but its operators often bend the rules.
According to him, the real challenge is how to ensure that the operators of democratic processes play by the rules.
Similarly, Reno Omokri, a former presidential aide, rejected Peter Obi’s claim of collapse. According to him, Obi should be careful about making claims that democracy has collapsed in Nigeria.
He added that Obi’s lamentation was more about his failed presidential bid than about Nigeria’s political health.
The clash of perspectives highlights the tension at the heart of Nigeria’s democratic journey. On one side are voices calling for a radical rethinking, probably an “Afro-Democracy” rooted in communal values, proportional representation to reflect Nigeria’s pluralism, and constitutional reforms to address deep-seated ethnic and regional divisions.
On the other side are leaders urging patience, insisting that democracy, though flawed, remains the best mechanism for correcting mistakes and ensuring accountability.
Should Nigeria continue with Western democracy?
For Obasanjo, Obi, and Agbakoba, the answer is clear: without adaptation, the current system will keep failing.
For Kukah, abandoning democracy would be premature and dangerous. For civil society, democracy cannot thrive without tackling poverty, protecting civic freedoms, and restoring trust in elections.
As Nigeria prepares for the 2027 general elections, the debate is no longer academic. Whether through reforms, reinterpretations, or resilience, the nation must decide whether its democracy will endure or crumble under the weight of its contradictions.
