Where is Democracy in Nigeria? -By Auwal Ahmed Ibrahim, Goronyo

The basic logic of democracy is simple; as it supposed to be the government of the people, by the people, and for the people. In practice in Nigeria, that definition has taken on a different coloration because the opposition and the media are mostly restricted to freedom of speech and exercising practice of democratic justice.

The media as the Fourth-Estate-of-the-Realm is constitutwd to serve as the watchdog of the society and should be allowed to cover and report information without infringement or harassment. Political opposition should be allowed to work on the foundation of democracy and the doctrine of the Nigerian constitution without intimation.

When democracy returned to Nigeria in 1999, leaders blamed every failure on the system itself, calling it a “nascent democracy” that needed time to grow but that was the time democracy flourished and worked for all the citizens of the country despite as a pre-matured system of leadership, but twenty-seven years later, the system has grown older, but the core doctrines of freedom, tolerance, justice and accountability still feel diluted. Many practices that defined the early, hopeful years of the Fourth Republic have faded or been deliberately restricted because opposition leaders don’t enjoy that space of freedom of before.

At the rebirth of democracy in 1999, opposition parties had visible space. Posters, billboards, freedom of political activities are seen and felt, political parties contest elections and aspirants contest with governors and the President within the ruling parties. The apex leaders lock the party, steer its affairs, drive its course and destiny. That system of political participation and belonging has been eroded and become one-man affairs. The president and governors go for primary election without strong contestant or invisible ones and returned elected and winners

The political space has shrunk. Opposition parties have limited space to campaign, to be visible, to comment on national issues and enjoy their freedom. Even the media suffers to report true activities of the government because some media are termed enemies of the government because they report factual events that matter to the public. The government now has pro-goverment media that they give information access to report their events while shun and maltreat many for reporting the truth. Also, go round any state in Nigeria, the subjugation of democracy is clear if you can count the numbers of billboards of opposition around the state of any party not only in the city. The opposition are silenced, they face injustice at times and their members are harassed.

In the build-up to the 2023 general election the opposition in some states alleged that their billboards were defaced and campaign venues denied by state authorities, and in 2023 elections, some state governors were accused of denying opposition parties access to public facilities for campaigns, while the ruling party used state assets freely.

When the state apparatus is used to favor one party, elections cease to be a contest of ideas and become a contest of incumbency.

However, the internal problems happening in ADC and other parties opposition parties are perceived as engineering work of the ruling party just to destabilise the oppositions. If this becomes true, Nigerian democracy is in danger.

In a true democracy, public resources belong to all citizens, but in Nigeria access to government programs is often tied to party membership. This sabotages the mission and the doctrine of true democratic system.

During COVID-19 palliative distribution in 2020, several states were accused of diverting food items to party loyalists. In Lagos and Plateau, warehouses were discovered hoarding palliatives meant for all citizens. It was revealed that the hoarded palliative are kept to be shared during elections to induce voters. Employment and empowerment programs in many states, such as S-Power in Sokoto and N-Power at the federal level, have repeatedly faced allegations of being skewed toward party members and supporters. In 2021, some local governments in the North were reported to have made party membership cards a requirement to access fertilizer subsidies, grants and scholarships. This contradicts the true system of democracy.

This turns governance into patronage, and citizenship into a party ID card. It also erodes the true system of democratic practice and breeds anarchy.

Democracy thrives on dissent and scrutiny. Yet journalists, activists and ordinary citizens who expose some of these abnormally face intimidation and harassment for saying the truth about what the government does.

In 2020, the NBC fined some television stations over their coverage of the #EndSARS protests, a move widely condemned as an attack on press freedom. In 2021, the Federal Government suspended Twitter in Nigeria for 7 months after it deleted a presidential tweet, citing “misinformation.” Activists and social media commentators have been arrested for “cyberstalking” and “false information” after criticizing government officials. In several states, governors have shut down or threatened radio stations for hosting opposition party members.

When the press and citizens are afraid to speak, accountability dies and the government will become the alpha and the omega in the affairs of people whether good or bad. Democracy can only flourish when the citizens are treated equally and with justice and freedom.

Democracy should accommodate disagreement without destroying relationships. Today, party affiliation has become an identity. During elections, it is common to hear of families divided, and even marriages strained, over support for political parties. Husband and wife fight over political party affiliation. Siblings fight dirty because of political choices. A lot of people have been killed for do-or-die politics and many journalists are now in prison for reporting true affairs of elections.

Traditional rulers have been dethroned or threatened for being perceived as not supporting the ruling party. Contractors and business owners often feel compelled to “identify” with the ruling party to get government jobs, sidelining merit and excluding non-partisan citizens.

This creates a system where loyalty to party matters more than competence or public good, and it erodes the good system of merit and competency.

In a true democracy, the President and Governors should see opposition members not as enemies but as part of the same citizens. Inclusive government means appointing competent people across party lines as ministers, ambassadors and advisers. It means palliatives, education support and contracts going to citizens, not just card-carrying members.

INEC, the Police, and the Judiciary must operate without interference. Journalists, activists and opposition parties must campaign and speak freely on the basis of rule of law. Social programs must be needs-based, not party-based.

Until then, we must keep asking: If the government is truly “of the people,” democracy is not just about holding elections every four years. It is about freedom to choose, freedom to speak, and fairness in sharing the commonwealth. Nigeria has the structure of democracy and we must allow its spirit to lead us.

Auwal Ahmed Ibrahim, Goronyo writes from Kaduna and can be reached via auwalgoronyo@gmail.com