- While president Bola Tinubu and his party, the All Progressives Congress, can easily dismiss opposition parties assertion of gradual erosion of democratic tenets in Nigeria as the rhetoric of disgruntled elements and power-hungry alarmists, the warning of characters like respected professor Jega cannot be scoffed at, disregarded or tagged political agenda aimed at portraying him and his in bad light
These days, the discourse about the state of democracy in Nigeria is as polarising as it is polemical. From a coterie of leading figures in the opposition parties who have repeatedly raised alarm over the nation’s slide into authoritarianism and a one-party state to a president and his ruling party who dismissed the concerns of the opposition and reiterated their commitment to the strengthening of democracy, it’s easy to for any dispassionate mind and an objective bystander who analyse political happenings in the nation with the binoculars of impartiality to tell where our democracy is headed.
Democracy Day gave major actors and key drivers of our democratic journey an ample opportunity to bare their mind on the state of Nigeria’s democracy and what the future holds. One of such actors was former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega. Jega conducted the 2015 presidential election that saw the ousting of the former president, Goodluck Jonathan, from power. While many adjudged the election to be free and fair, some, especially those on the losing side, said it was marred by rigging and malpractices. Regardless of where you stand on the conduct and outcome of the 2015 presidential election, one thing that the majority of Nigerians agree on is that Jega, a professor of political science, ushered in a new era in Nigeria’s democratic journey, one that brought sanity, orderliness and some level of probity to INEC, at least those were what the commission was synonymous with before he left.
He decided to weigh in on the raging debate about democracy in Nigeria and the state of the nation as a whole. Presenting a paper titled “Required Reforms for Stronger Democratic Institutions in Nigeria” at The Platform Nigeria: June 12, 2025 edition, organized by The Covenant Nation Global in Lagos, Jega, a Professor of Political Science from Bayero University, Kano, bemoans the conspicuous absence of real governance and dividends of despite almost three decades of uninterrupted democratic rule. According to him, “we have perfected the rituals of democracy, elections, party campaigns, political handovers, but have failed to build the substance.”
He shared the sentiment of those who worry that the nation is not headed in the right direction under the current administration and that all the indices that make democratic nation successful are absent. He posited that if we are to clean the augean stable and salvage Nigeria, the country must embrace robust, radical and far-reaching institutional reforms that will ensure accountability and transparency, strengthen the rule of law, and make governance truly serve the people.
“At the center of Nigeria’s crisis of governance is the immunity clause in our Constitution. It was meant to protect high office holders, presidents and governors, from frivolous litigation while in office. Instead, it has become a protective shield for corruption and abuse. Under this provision, executives have looted public funds, manipulated institutions, and trampled on rights without consequence. They know that for four or eight years, they are above the law. Therefore, to him, this is not democracy, it is elected autocracy. The immunity clause must go. Real-time accountability should apply to all public officers, regardless of rank,” he stated
While president Bola Tinubu and his party, the All Progressives Congress, can easily dismiss opposition parties assertion of gradual erosion of democratic tenets in Nigeria as the rhetoric of disgruntled elements and power-hungry alarmists, the warning of characters like professor Jega cannot be scoffed at, disregarded or tagged political agenda aimed at portraying him and his in bad light.
Discussion about this post