Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in 2023, has encouraged Nigerian political leaders to bring their country back to true democracy.
On Wednesday, Obi made this call via his verified X handle in a statement.
According to the former governor of Anambra State, democracy was about carrying out the constitutionally mandated duties of responsible administration rather than just holding elections.
He gave Nigerian leaders the responsibility to uphold and safeguard democratic state institutions by abiding by the law and answering to the people.
The remark was made public in observance of Nigeria’s Democracy Day celebration.
Obi pointed out that it is feasible to have a real society in which democracy can flourish.
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“The essential question for all of us remains: Are we truly democratic? Today, as our beloved nation celebrates Democracy Day and recognises 25 years of striving to be a democratic country?
These principles will serve as the cornerstones of our real democracy as we construct a New Nigeria. It’s feasible,” he declared.
The previous contender for president also bemoaned certain numbers, claiming they were signs that the country was not really democratic.
We are now graded as follows to further highlight the fact that we are not genuinely democratic and have only generated the vices listed above:
According to the Global Democracy Index, we are ranked low with a democracy index score of 4.23. Nigeria has a high level of corruption, as evidenced by its ranking of 145th out of 180 countries in the Corruption Perception Index.
Nigeria exhibits flagrant disregard for the rule of law, as evidenced by our ranking of 120th out of 142 countries in the World Justice Project’s (WJP) Rule of Law Index.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has identified Nigeria as one of the most hazardous and challenging nations in West Africa for journalists in its 2024 World Press Freedom Index.
Out of 180 nations, Nigeria is ranked 112th for the frequency of monitoring, attacks, and arbitrary detentions of journalists. According to the Global Hunger Index, we are placed 109th out of 125 countries,” he stated.
