Recently, I had the privilege of attending the Conference on Strengthening democracy beyond elections organised by the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA) where my boss and mentor, Ezenwa Nwagwu is Executive Director.
Three things that happened at the conference propelled me into a new level of reflection about Nigeria. Honestly, this country will test your optimism, but that conference gave me clarity. I’m happy to share my experience from the conference, because these are conversations I believe every Nigerian should hear.
It is important to state that the conference was just days after I returned from observing the Anambra governorship election. During that election, I saw something that should worry anyone who still believes in Nigeria’s democracy. While people were shouting “vote buying!” like a national anthem, something more alarming was staring us in the face: the people simply didn’t show up. The voter turnout for the Anambra governorship election was very poor.
One polling unit we visited with my team from the Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA) had over 200 registered voters. However, only three voters bothered to come. Just Three. Meanwhile, young men were happily playing football nearby, and a church programme was ongoing as if Election Day was just another public holiday. The truth is that Nigerians are quietly losing interest in our elections and democracy, and if we don’t admit it, we are deceiving ourselves.
That was why the discussions at the PAACA Conference a few days later hit me differently. I genuinely wished every Nigerian could hear the message coming out of that room. It was loud and clear from the very beginning: democracy doesn’t end at the ballot box.
As I mentioned earlier, three things stood out for me at the conference which had the theme: “Sustaining Democratic Reforms Beyond the Polls for Effective Governance,” and each one spoke directly to the crisis of citizen disengagement I witnessed in Anambra.
First was the food. See, I don’t pretend about food. No matter what you are discussing about fixing Nigeria, abeg bring food. In fact, hunger is undemocratic. You cannot fix Nigeria on an empty stomach. And the jollof they served? That was nation-building in a cooler. If government policies were as consistent as that party jollof, this country would have entered G20 by now.
The second thing was the quality of conversations. Real talk. No filters. No political correctness. Activists, scholars, practitioners, everybody came ready to tell the truth that many leaders avoid like a plague. Clearly, many of the speakers were individuals who spent their youthful years in activism, so you could feel the passion and sincerity in their voices.
Ezenwa Nwagwu opened with a reminder that should worry our so-called leaders. His speech was supposed to be a welcome address. However, I have come to know Mr Ezenwa to never miss an opportunity to tell truth to power.
In his usual blunt way, he said: “Nigeria has made important strides in strengthening electoral integrity and broadening citizen participation, yet the journey toward a democracy that truly delivers for all its citizens is far from complete.”
Simple. Direct. Painful truth!
He went on to set the tone for the day, noting that “Our task today is to reflect, challenge ourselves and chart actionable pathways for sustaining reforms that will endure well beyond election cycles.”
But if you thought Ezenwa was blunt, wait till Husseini Abdu, Country Director of CARE International took the mic. What he said is something Nigerians usually whisper in private conversations with with low volume:
“Our democracy today is being run by people who don’t actually believe in democracy. And that’s the problem we have in this country today; the practitioners of this democracy don’t believe in it.”
I almost clapped. That line should be in a documentary. Immediately, my journalist DNA kicked in. I dropped my pen and started recording. That kind of truth is not something you let pass.
And this is where many Nigerian journalists get it wrong. Most media colleagues leave events after “opening ceremony ” and “group photos.” While I understand the constraints – media houses are short-staffed and journalists have to juggle across multiple assignments – the challenge is that many at times, we miss the meat of the conversations, which usually unfold during technical sessions.
That’s why the real conversations, the ones that matter, don’t make the news. But that day, I stayed to the end because I could sense the heat rising. And I was right because the discussions were explosive. Besides, beyond reporting what we describe in the newsroom as “he said” and “they said”, I value every opportunity to improve my knowledge on issues especially around good governance and accountability.
Husseini kept going: He tore apart the misconception that periodic elections equal democracy. He explained, rightly, how politicians undermine every reform the moment it threatens their personal interest. We fight for a better Electoral Act, they sabotage it within one election cycle. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. A maddening loop.
The problem is not just the system, it is the people running the system, many of whom see democracy as a costume they wear when it suits them.
He said, “the perception is that once you have periodic elections, then you have democracy. Unfortunately, that is not true.
“The failure to actually connect democracy with public accountability and citizens participation is what led us to where we are today, that even in the election itself, is continually undermined by the shenanigans and subterfuge of our politicians
“Our democracy today is being run by people who don’t actually believe in democracy and that’s the problem we have in this country today; that the practitioners of this democracy don’t believe it.
“Their relationship with democracy is to the extent that serves their interest. Once the interest is not guaranteed or the institutions and legal frameworks cannot guarantee that interest, they will work to undermine it. And we have seen that continually with our electoral laws. Every election season, we work really, really hard to get a new Electoral Act to support our elections, but that Act works only for one election season. By the next elections, they have perfected ways of undermining it, and in the next moment, you are thinking of another electoral Act.
“The challenge is not simply our electoral governance process. The challenge is the value of the people who are running the system. You have political parties who cannot conduct their own elections. They can’t manage themselves when they want to have a credible election.”
Other notable speakers such as Prof. Sam Amadi, Hon. Joshua Audu-Gana, and others added their own perspectives during the panel sessions. But what stood out was how relatable the discussions were. People spoke plainly, no big grammar to confuse the audience. Just raw truth, and participants connected deeply with the issues raised.
The keynote address by the Benue Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. Sam Egwu, took things to another level. Speaking on “The Future of Democracy in Nigeria: Building Institutions that Outlast Elections,” he questioned the very type of democracy Nigeria is practicing.
But let me summarise his message in one line: Nigeria is practicing the wrong kind of democracy alien to our constitution and realities.
It was his explanation that opened my eyes. The 1999 Constitution commits Nigeria to a social democracy, yet past and present leaders have consistently acted in breach of that provision. Instead, our leaders, guided by World Bank and IMF pressures, have pursued a confused version of liberal democracy that leaves citizens behind.
And we wonder why nothing is working. He called out the hypocrisy: Our democracy is consolidating on paper, but collapsing in reality because governance has refused to match people’s expectations.
“If you read the 1999 constitution, which is lifted from the 1979 constitution, chapter two commits to the doctrine of social democracy. Because it talks about the responsibility of government in terms of the welfare of citizens,,” he said.
He reminded us that democracy and good governance are inseparable twins. If one fails, the other becomes useless.
He also exposed how successive governments breached constitutional responsibilities for welfare of citizens; how global institutions hijacked our economic direction; and how over-centralisation weakened states and crippled local governments; civil society — the heroes of our democracy — is now weakened and underfunded
Then Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, a former presidential candidate delivered his own home truth: He noted that many Nigerians are losing faith because democracy has failed to improve their lives. He cited how young Nigerians waved Russia and China’s flags during protests, an expression of their frustration with the Nigerian democratic experiment.
He also pointed out something we refuse to admit, our political parties have become mere vehicles for personal ambition rather than platforms for ideas, ideology, or reform. And here’s the painful truth: a democracy without ideas will always produce leaders without vision.
My take-home from the Conference was simple. This country doesn’t lack thinkers. It lacks listeners in power. It doesn’t lack reforms, it lacks political will. It doesn’t lack laws, it lacks leaders who believe in the laws they swear to protect.
If Nigeria is serious about restoring faith in democracy, then we must fix governance, not just elections; strengthen institutions, not individuals; obey the constitution, not foreign economic prescriptions; rebuild political parties around ideas, not egos; reconnect citizens to the process; and, yes, serve good food at conferences — because hungry citizens don’t build nations.
As I left the venue of the conference, I whispered a quiet prayer: may God reward our efforts with good governance!
Read more on Peoples Daily Newspaper
