How democracy is grossly abused in Nigeria and entire continents of Africa calls for advanced inquisition research whether the system of governance should be abolished and new ones introduced for real developmental attainments.
Globally, democracy is universally advocated as civil means of governance that empowered the people through voting to decide who is best to represent them in government. In the western world, democratic outcome is justified on electoral strength but in Africa, determined by power of the barrels. Now, how does democracy crept in to Africa?
Democracy was introduced in to several African countries by the imperialists who bequeathed unto African the system of governance at the dawn of independence. But did the imperialists gave African totality orientations about democracy systems. Clearly crystalized, democratic orientations bequeathed unto African is centred on Sharks feeding on other fishes in the sea. They never implanted the same ideology in Britain in Nigeria or any other British colonized countries in Africa. Till dates, the 1959 Federal Election in Nigeria is concisely described by many authors and researchers as, “laying foundation of electoral fraud” based on authorized manipulation of election results by the British government. Is African right for sweating profusely and tiredly trekking scalars journey initiated by its Lord of Final Decider: the whites supremacists?
John Hendrich Clark a great Pan Africanist, ideologies that all African countries inherited systems of governance from their colonizers after independence and they will never succeed by those inherited systems of polity. Which African country today as succeeded in practicing uncorrupted democracy? None in my own views can be fully certified as standing upright.
Thus, Africa is way backwards and confronted with all kinds of challenges: economic fluctuations, political instability, cultural decadence and technological regressions. Yet African leaders in AU, ECOWAS,etc are busying promoting parochial interests of their contemporaries Presidents. In some African countries, some Presidents have been in power for over three decades.
These weak associations founded in the manner of their shadow honcho’s, United Nations, found of making resolutions which some of its member states never respected. Did Russia respected UN resolutions on Ukraine or Israel on Palestine? More so, is US and World powers unaware that some African Presidents made the position’s an hereditary rights in their countries and what have they done to protect sanctity of democracy? Nothing at all other than using the avenue to exploit resources of those country conniving with their Presidents. Because African Presidents are aware that US have 29 military bases on the continents, France 15 and are therefore afraid of their machinery to engineer coup de’tat to topple them.
Therefore, the Writer submits that Africa up to this 21st century is not practicing democracy but civilian governance. In democracy, you don’t hijack ballot boxes but it is normal in civilian governance for unknown gun men to attack polling units, results collation centres and even INEC’s office like how Secretary to INEC said gun men carted away petitions filed against conduct of November 11 election . The implications is that you cannot talk about civilian governance in Africa continent without talking about violence and judicial coup to help upturned constitutional provisions through anticlockwise interpretations. And so doing, Africa is making mockery of its political administrations under the sun.
Nigeria is a good example of Africa country’s, where the kind of democracy in practice is similes to the pictures the Writer is painting. From 1999 till dates, Nigeria as not had free and fair elections. The ruling classes have being dictating outcomes of election while, votes casts by the electorates have not invariably been counting. Ergo, the grassroots have lost trusts in the electoral process and the consequences is low turnout of voters on election dates. In addition, INEC is suspiciously believe to conspire with the judiciary to commit broad daylight heists on people’s mandates.
In completely painting the picture, democracy system will be fruitful in Africa and basically in Nigeria, if leaders in power are dead to the mentality and misconception that democracy is victory by hook or by crook. Meaning, power ought been given to preferred candidate by the people not taken by the strongest, ruthless and deadliest candidate. Pursuance democracy can answers its definition as government of the people, by the people and for the people.
– Comrade Segun Babayomi Amupitan is an independent writer, political activist, social media commentator, Pan Africanist and incumbent National President North Central and Abuja Youth Development Association (NAYODA)).
