Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has raised fresh concerns over the state of democracy in Nigeria, warning that the system is no longer serving the people.
Obi, who spoke on Wednesday after participating in the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Annual Democracy Dialogue in Accra, Ghana, said Nigeria’s democracy lacks accountability and has been hijacked by political elites for personal gain.
“Democracy is fundamentally about accountability, prioritising service to the people, ensuring security, providing education and healthcare, and lifting people out of poverty,” Obi wrote in a statement shared on his 𝕏 account.
He stressed that democracy fails when leaders stop being accountable to citizens and neglect their needs.
“Democracy dies when it ceases to be accountable to the people and when it no longer prioritises their needs,” he added.
According to him, Nigeria has sadly become an example of this decline.
“Nigeria is a typical example of where democracy is dying because it no longer serves the needs of the people and is no longer accountable to them. In Nigeria, democracy has become a process of elite state capture, granting access to public resources for personal and family interests,” he said.
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Despite his worries, Obi expressed optimism that the country can still be rebuilt. He urged Nigerians to take elections seriously and vote for credible candidates.
“To reverse this situation, Nigerians must take democracy and elections seriously by ensuring that only people with competence, capacity, character, compassion, and commitment to service are elected. A new Nigeria is possible,” he said.