A two-day National Conference on Strengthening Democracy in Nigeria, brought together many leading politicians in Abuja to examine different aspects of the polity. KUNLE ODEREMI writes on the burning issues that came to the fore and concerns raised by most of the speakers, including scholars.
NIGERIA, to use part of the campaign slogan of the late politician and business tycoon, Chief MKO Abiola, during the politics of the ill-fated Third Republic, is on the march again. The slogan almost eclipsed the nation’s national anthem that was recently replaced with the one that ushered in Nigeria’s Independence on October 1, 1960.
At the moment, politicians have upped the ante in the dialogue over the journey to the 2027 election year. They are almost back to the starting block on the march again! There is frenzied move and effort to amend the 1999 Constitution. The Joint Committee of the Senate and the House of Representatives saddled with collating inputs of the major stakeholders in the Nigerian project is set to hold public hearings across the six geopolitical zones in the country. The National Assembly has promised to deliver an amended Constitution in December this year.
More than 100 proposals have been initiated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for electoral reforms in preparations for the 2027 general election. The commission has also been engaging in interactions with the leadership of the various political parties on critical and vital issues aimed at improving the electoral and party systems. On their part, more politicians are making moves to forge new alliances and possibly create new platforms that could present candidates in subsequent elections. Already, some political gladiators have assembled other like minds to float associations with the intention of founding what they described as broad-based parties, even as reports indicated that no fewer than 18 groups have almost concluded plans to approach the INEC for official recognition as full-fledged parties.
In the midst of these episodic events came a two-day national conference that began in Abuja, on January 27, with the theme: National Conference on Strengthening Democracy in Nigeria. It provided a real opportunity for the leading political parties, their leaders, top government functionaries, some presidential candidates in the last general election and other informed personalities to dissect the polity and offer suggestions on the way forward, taking cognizance of the challenges of the past. There were contributions from experts from other countries, as well as former president, envoys and diplomats at the conference, which has brought a number of issues bordering on governance, rule of law, alliance and merger among political parties to the front burner. The conference was organised by the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD), Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WfD), Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA) and the National Peace Committee.
At the dusk of military rule in Nigeria about 26 years ago, the people were upbeat on their expectations of a new dawn. Cautious optimism was expressed by some elders statesmen and leaders of thought like the late Pa Anthony Enahoro, who reminded Nigerians that democracy was not an end itself, but a means to an end. Similar messages were echoed by the Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, groups and organisation that constituted the bulwark of the bitter struggle that forced the military back to their barracks. A renowned prodemocracy and constitutional lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekwome (SAN) recalled the euphoria that trailed the restoration of civil rule in the country. He said: “The mood in Nigeria was euphoric. Streets thronged with jubilant crowds celebrating what many believed to be the dawn of a new era. The Nigerian playwright and Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka remarked at the time, «A new chapter has been opened, but will the ink we write with be of hope or betrayal?» Soyinka’s words captured the cautious optimism of the time.”
Ownership of parties
With the journey of civil rule in the country just less than four years into three decades, the main gladiators admit the enormity of challenges that need to be overcome. According to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who was vice president from 1999 to 2007, many issues still dogged the path of civilian rule in the country. In a paper titled: “Party Politics and Political Integrity: The Role of Political Parties and Opposition in Democracy” presented by Professor Bayo Olukoshi at the national conference, he claimed that democracy in Nigeria is seriously on trial. He said it is necessary to take corrective actions to protect and deepen our democracy. His words: 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.” He also expressed reservations on the quality of governance across the country. His main advocacy as the way forward was multiple pronged. He listed the five critical tracks to include institutional capacity of parties, normative acceptance by party members; consequences for non-compliance; and judicial reform. On institutional capacity, he said democracy cannot be sustained without strong political parties, especially opposition parties. He said parties need to be strong and democratic enough to be able to fulfill their roles. He asserted; “Ownership of parties by or their subordination to individual big men is the antithesis of democracy. Party supremacy is critical. But party supremacy can’t be achieved through the current funding model for our parties. Funding by governors and a few wealthy individuals is not a democratic model.”
Atiku, who has been an integral part of the initiative on coalition, maintained his position that the opposition need to close rank to guarantee their impact against a ruling party. He said opposition parties should realise that it is extremely difficult to dislodge a governing party, however unpopular it may be and however fed up the people may be with it. Coalition-building and outright mergers are critical for building the capacity of the opposition to achieve that goal. Our own history and examples from other countries prove that,” he stressed.
Vision versus leadership
The contribution of the Federal Government to the ongoing national discourse was edifying. This is against the backdrop of nuances in some comments and remarks in the views expressed by opposition politicians in particular based on the effects and impact of government reforms, policies and programmes on the citizens. While Vice President Kashim Shettima admitted that the President Bola Tinubu administration was aware of the difficulties Nigerians are passing through, he said there is prospects of a new dawn. Shettima was represented by Hakeem Baba Ahmed. The vice president emphasized the place of quality and purposeful leadership as the country seeks to rediscover itself. According to Shettima, “Nigerian democracy must mean a lot more than asking Nigerians to line up every four years to elect leaders. It must mean, in practical terms, that leaders commit to the demands of elected leadership in very transparent manners, that mandates given to them to govern make them servants to interests of the people, custodians of their assets, and protectors of their interests. The best leaders are people who exercise power only to promote the interests of their people. The challenge for leaders in democratic systems is to lead with the vision which identifies a path and destination that ultimately benefit the citizens, even where some have legitimate reservations, or have issues with them.”
Coalition bug
The issue of forming a coalition also formed part of the views ventilated by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the last elections Mr.Peter Obi. He is one of the leading opposition figures touted as favourably disposed to a possible gang-up against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027. The speculation has failed to ebb in spite of his denial of having plans to team up with other opposition politicians to form a coalition. He said: «Well, for me, what is important is let›s discuss Nigeria. Whether we are going to do coalition… let›s talk about the future of the country, but often we abandon the country and what we need to do and talk about power grab. I ‹m not interested in any coalition for the purpose of taking power. It is about discussing Nigeria. ‘How do we care about securing the Nigerians? How do we care about the common person in Nigeria? How do we care about our children being in school? That is the most important thing for now.»
Capacity of democratic institution
The debate at fine-tuning the political system is further given a fillip by a former Ghanaian Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who said the strengthening of state institution should be sacrosanct. Bawumia, who was candidate of Ghana›s New Patriotic Party in last general election, said those institutions are crucial in observing the main pillars and structures of democracy. “One of the most important determinants of a flourishing democracy is the quality of institutions; institutions capable of guaranteeing rights, including property rights, and checking wanton abuse of power. These institutions include the Independent Election Management bodies, the Judiciary, the Ombudsman, the Police, other law enforcement agencies, and many others… Celebrated Economists like Dani Rodrick, Daron Acemolgu, and others, have come to a firm conclusion that, when it comes to the determinants of growth, the quality of institutions towers above everything else. Unfortunately, whilst the culture of peacefully choosing leaders is being entrenched, these institutions are becoming weak and endangered,” he stated.
He is disturbed by the danger posed by poverty to democracy. Quoting the legend and former South African president, Nelson Mandela, Bawumia said: “As long as poverty, injustice, and gross inequality exist in our world, none of us can truly rest.’ He shares the view of the late Enahoro that democracy must be a means to an end’” emphasising that the best democracy is the one that delivers public goods and services effectively and efficiently and creates opportunities for citizens whilst making conscious efforts to leave no one behind.
«For Nigeria, and indeed much of Sub-Saharan Africa, our work is cut out for us. We need to take decisive actions to demonstrate that to govern is to advance the interest and welfare of the people. We need to reconfigure our economic systems, processes, and institutions in a manner that prioritizes the next meal for majority of our people. For far too long, the focus has been on ticking the boxes on democratic institutions much to the neglect of what those institutions have been able to produce for the ordinary citizen. The person who is unable to afford the next ‘Eba’ meal is unlikely to appreciate any data on democratic progress.” The eminent Ghanaian politician was concerned abou what he called the growing apprehension among the citizenry about the relevance and usefulness of government institutions, with many people losing faith in these institutions. This, he said, portends a bleak future for democratic sustenance if we do not rise to the occasion, and quickly too. Thus, he warned: ‘For our democracy to remain relevant and sustainable, actors need to ensure that citizens have confidence in the democratic system to address their needs and concerns, particularly basic needs, which I call the next meal principle.»
Character of political parties
Since the last general election, some politicians have defected to other parties other than the one that they got elected into public offices. Though the constitution frowns on such actions by elected public officials, the trend has subsisted with the party at the receiving sulking in silence. It is one of the issues that apparently drew the attention of Professor Jibrin Ibrahim, who decried the lack of ideologically principles in the formation of political parties. He said the situation has led to electorate at the mercy of political platforms being managed by drug barons and warlords. He averred: «The most serious threat is the way the party system has developed. The key characteristics are that parties don›t have members but barons and warlords who impose their interests. The political parties that we have had lost their identities in terms of their manifestoes and what they stand for. The moment people can›t identify what parties stand for, it becomes impossible to have democratic commitment; a situation where they (political parties) have no commitment to ideals of democracy.” The don also blamed the rising level of voter apathy to the convoluted party arrangement and called for a quick reversal in order to boost public confidence in the ballot in Nigeria. His words: «The real outcome is increasing apathy. The people have lost the right to exercise power because it has been confiscated from them. That creates the crisis of apathy. We must revive the belief that it is possible for Nigerians to regain their political power through the ballot.»
No doubt, the conversation on how to improve governance, reform the political parties and re-engineer the psyche of the major actors continues. Further contributions are expected from more stakeholders in the months ahead as the country prepares for the 26th anniversary of restoration of civil rule on May 29, 1999. In the meantime, the reminiscence of Ozekwome on the state of democracy in Nigeria is instructive. He said: “The military era may have ended, but its legacy continues to shape Nigeria’s political culture. The deep-seated corruption, the centralisation of power, and the distrust of government are all remnants of this period. As Nigeria entered the Fourth Republic in 1999, it did so with a heavy burden, a burden of history that continues to weigh on the nation’s shoulders.
“The challenge for Nigeria moving forward was clear: to break the vicious cycle of military intervention, authoritarianism, and corruption and to build a democratic system where accountability, transparency, and justice would reign supreme. As the saying goes, «A river does not forget its source, but it can chart a new course.» Nigeria, too, must remember its past but strive for a better future.”
