Amidst the deepening anxiety, tension and expectations preceding the forth coming general elections in Nigeria, critical stakeholders have raised concern over the imperatives of a smooth transition to strengthen democratic culture in Nigeria.
Among the key stakeholders who raised their views on the way forward for Nigeria’s democracy were the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, and former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who spoke at the Port Harcourt International Conference, sponsored by the Rivers State Government with the theme: “Deepening Democratic Culture and Institutions for Sustainable Development and Security In Nigeria”, held at the Obi Wali International Conference Centre in Port Harcourt on Thursday.
Addressing the conference, the Rivers State Governor said Nigerians are desirous of a credible transition process with the 2023 general elections becoming the litmus test to actualise the dream of an egalitarian society and political leadership emanating from popular choice.
Governor Wike noted that Nigeria’s evolving political history has been prone to some institutional challenges that had hampered the processes but urged Nigerians to keep faith with democratic culture by ensuring that the 2023 general elections make a difference in other to avert a further drift into political disequilibrium and social disorder.
Governor Wike noted that Nigeria’s former President, late Umaru Yar’Adua acknowledged that the election that brought him as President was fraught with  glaring irregularities and promised some electoral reforms in the country.
According to Governor Wike, the anomalies in Nigeria’s political transition grew unabated with litigations trailing the outcomes of the 2011, 2015 and 2019 general elections, as the compromise of the electoral process by the electoral umpires negated the principles of fair contest and denied citizens their constitutional rights to elect the leaders they could trust and hold accountable to stewardship.
Thus, the emergence of leaders outside the people’s will, he noted, was  illegitimate and bred autocracy , abuse of political power and constituted existential threat to the peace and stability of the nation.
“None of the defeated contestants believed  they lost fairly and blamed the umpire, the security agencies and politicians for undermining our democracy with brazen electoral fraud.
“In Rivers State, we battled the military in 2016 and 2019 re- run and general elections with pure courage and determination to secure our victory and retain our mandate with the sweat and blood of innocent citizens”, Wike said.
Governor Wike emphasised that deepening democratic culture and institutions for sustainable development and security in Nigeria can only be achieved through a credible electoral process anchored on popular will, not a skewed process that undermines the will of the people.
Governor Wike expressed hope in the new electoral law, especially with the provision of the use of technology as a measure of checking electoral frauds. He added that political parties must also conform to democratic norms through their internal practices and external electoral behaviour.
He charged Nigerians to move out of the culture of indifference and docility and be courageous enough to stand for justice, participate actively in the democratic process and defend their votes, and urged the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) and the security agencies to be impartial in the discharge of their functions.
In his key note address, former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo said despite Nigeria’s chequered political evolution with twists and torns, there was still hope for a more credible and sustainable democratic process in the country.
Speaking on the topic “Respecting the Principles of Democraty”, the former president said Nigeria needed a strategic move to deepen it’s democratic culture.
To strengthen the country’s democracy, Obasanjo said political leadership should not be opportunistic but laden with a high sense of responsibility with critical stakeholders such as the intellectuals and technocrats playing pivotal roles in the polity as opposed to a system that favours minions and other characters lacking in leadership acumen.
He also cautioned against the arm-twisting and gauging of the opposition, stating that such tendencies could stifle the country’s democratic growth. He pointed out that the democratic practice exhibited by Nigeria’s political class has deepened contradiction, negative coalitions, distrust, disloyalty and unpatriotic tendencies within and between communities and constituencies all over the country.

By: Taneh Beemene