Nigeria’s Democracy At Risk – Atiku

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has said that Nigeria’s democracy is at a crossroads, emphasising that coalition-building and an outright merger are crucial to removing the ruling All Progressives Congress from power.

While speaking as a discussant at the National Conference on Strengthening Democracy in Nigeria in Abuja on Monday, Atiku stated that state capture makes it nearly impossible to achieve democratic change.

He said, “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.

“Some of that effort was thrust upon me by circumstances of political struggles. But much of my effort was because of two things: my participation among other leaders in the struggles to ease the military out of power; and my deep and enduring belief that democracy is the best route to development and unity for our diverse country and peoples.

“Democracy is characterised by, among other things, people’s freedom to choose their leaders; periodic elections, which partly ensure leaders’ commitment to the welfare of the governed, leaders’ acceptance of guardrails (without restraints leaders tend to accumulate and abuse power); consequences for non-compliance, including rejection at the polls.

“An independent judiciary to adjudicate disputes, and in a presidential system, checks and balances among the three branches of government.”

Atiku expressed concern over the declining consistency in governance and the erosion of people’s freedom to choose their leaders, noting that nostalgic references to the developmental achievements of the First Republic, in comparison to later periods, highlight this decline.

The former Vice President added that “deterioration in people’s freedom to choose their leaders has led to what many now regard as state capture in our country, the gravest consequence of which is the increasing difficulty in removing those in power through democratic means.

He suggested that the institutional capacity of political parties, the normative acceptance by party members, consequences for non-compliance, and judicial reforms must be urgently addressed.

According to Atiku, democracy cannot be sustained without strong political parties, particularly opposition parties.

PUNCH