Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate for 2023, has come under fire from the Northern Awareness Network for remarks he made regarding the elections in South Africa.
According to Obi, the most recent election in South Africa is a brilliant illustration of what a transparent process ought to entail.
The former governor of Anambra State stated in a post on Saturday via his X handle that the differences between the two countries’ election processes are unfortunate and a reflection of Nigeria’s continuous difficulties with democratic administration.
Salihu Suleiman, the leader of the northern group, said that Obi’s parallels were deceptive because the political histories and settings of the two countries are very different.
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“After undergoing substantial political reform and development over several decades of experience, South Africa has a lengthy history of democracy. However, Suleiman pointed out that Nigeria had years of military government before making the switch to democracy in 1999.
He contends that Obi’s attempt to compare the two nations’ electoral histories betrays a lack of knowledge about the political environments in each nation.
“It’s very absurd that Peter Obi is attempting to draw parallels between the electoral systems in Nigeria and South Africa.
He stated, “It would be more prudent to concentrate on addressing the specific challenges facing the Nigerian electoral system rather than making unwarranted comparisons, as the two countries are at different stages of democratic development.”
The group clarified that while South Africa’s democracy is more developed than Nigeria’s, Nigerians, who have been working hard to create a functional democracy, should not be unfairly treated since their electoral system is still in its infancy.
