The Prospect of Nigeria Democracy

The Prospect of Nigeria Democracy

Samuel Uwhejevwe-Togbolo

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Democracy is the best form of government that can solve the problem of the people in a particular country, democracy in Nigeria as gone a long way and is still going through the part of perfection. In our country today, democracy is passing through a lot of trials that needed every citizen in the country to defend the nascent democracy with all they have without compromise because if we fail to do so, our own shadow is going to chase us till the end of time. The worst of it all is that our children yet on born will have to pay the price by serving the children of these politicians who are bent on instilling their children as kings in the political land space thereby suppressing the genuine once that will move the nation forward. We have to change our orientation in order to defend our democracy, taking into cognizance the forth coming election, which will begin on the 14^th of April 2007, this is the time to reposition Nigeria for the future and a wise vote will make the difference.

In the dictionary definition, democracy "is government by the people in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system." In the phrase of Abraham Lincoln, democracy is a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people."

Freedom and democracy are often used interchangeably, but the two are not synonymous. Democracy is indeed a set of ideas and principles about freedom, but it also consists of a set of practices and procedures that have been molded through a long, often tortuous history. In short, democracy is the institutionalization of freedom. For this reason, it is possible to identify the time-tested fundamentals of constitutional government, human rights, and equality before the law that any society must possess to be properly called democratic.

The principles of democracy are not put into consideration by our supposed elected leaders, these leaders or government functionaries are bent on imposing people on the masses for them to be voted into power, they also go further to intimidate the masses and if anybody tries to resist their imposition such person will be swept by an “hurricane”. The imposing of candidates on the electorate is a cancan worm that is gradually destroying the democratic system; this has come as a result of rigging such candidate into office and thereby spending the state money to buy votes during the electioneering period. It is true that most times feeding unpopular candidate for elective positions set the basis for rigging an election, because even before the polls such candidates is aware of its failure at the poll which will now metamorphous into series of meetings by the party agents in order to strategies means of rigging the poll even when it is obvious that such candidates did not win the election. In 2003 their were lots of cases but the one decided by the court of law between Dr. Chris Ngige of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Mr. Peter Obi of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) who won the election by majority votes, is resounding in our memories, the incumbent Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, won the April 2003 governorship election on the platform of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) but was robbed of the electoral mandate by the combined conspiracy of Chief Chris Uba, Dr. Chris Ngige and the INEC. Consequently, even though he was supposed to be sworn-in as Governor on May 29, 2003, he assumed office only on 17th March, 2006, which is just 14 months to the end of the tenure of office.

In building and strengthening our nascent democracy, there should be no more sitting on the fence, for such is no longer part of strategy for political survival in today’s world for as Will Durant wrote, "all efforts is success, not to try is the only failure." That is why the perseverance and persistence of Peter Obi is commendable. There is the need to test the law on the various grey areas in our bid for political reform process. The Court, as the citadel of justice and the last hope of the common man, should by its pronouncements discourage election rigging and ensure that a person robbed of his electoral mandate does not lose a single day from his constitutionally guaranteed tenure. Let the court set a precedent that will guide our future political behaviour.

In our present democracy Nigerians needed a leader that will deliver the dividends of democracy in all spheres of life, democracy is all about making the people to be comfortable, providing the basic needs of life to the timid masses rather than oppressing the people who they are melt to protect. Nigerians are graving for a leader that is ready to discuss issued based development and not political statement to development the whole country within 12months, this present administration is full of promises that are never accomplished and even at the verge of living office the present administration is still promising Nigerians development that will never see the light of day, and its very appalling to not that some campaigners will be talking of building on the legacies of the present administration, if such person emerged as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, continue to increase pump price of petroleum product, continue in the intimidation of those who are opposed to its administration by hunting such persons and levying allegations of corruption on the integrity of law abiding Citizens. Nigerians need to apply a radical approach to sustaining our nascent democracy by resisting any policy of the government that is detrimental to our collect existence, the time is now more so as we approach the forth coming election to elect our representative bearing in mind that these representatives are those who will enact laws that will determine our survival which will give meaning to the economic and social wellbeing of the citizens. I enjoin all Nigerian to come out and cast their vote for the right candidates.

Movement for Youth Actualization International (MYAI)