Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) candidate in the 2023 presidential election, has declared that Nigeria is not operating as a democracy, citing a lack of adherence to democratic principles.
Speaking on Tuesday during an appearance on Prime Time, a programme on Arise TV, Obi argued that the fundamental tenets of democracy are absent in the country.
“I have said it, and I maintain that there is no democracy in Nigeria today,” he stated. “Nigeria today is not a democratic country. Let’s stop telling ourselves lies. If you look at all the tenets and yardsticks measuring democracy, it doesn’t exist here.”
Obi criticised the current government, asserting that it neither represents the will of the people nor was elected through a credible process.
“Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Today, the government we have is not of the people. It is not by the people because the people didn’t vote. It wasn’t their votes,” he said.
He also referenced the recent political developments in Edo State, questioning whether such incidents reflect a democratic system.
The former Anambra State governor further condemned the government’s spending priorities, arguing that critical social needs are being neglected.
“I visited an IDP camp where thousands of people are living without primary healthcare. They were begging me for just one nurse. They don’t even have a primary school. Meanwhile, the government has spent N21 billion to renovate the vice-president’s residence, which he isn’t even living in,” Obi remarked.
He also criticised President Bola Tinubu’s administration for suspending Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and declaring a state of emergency in the state.
Obi warned that Nigeria’s democracy, which had been making progress since 1999, is now regressing under the current administration.
“Our democracy is collapsing. It is being knocked down,” he said.
