Still on Democratic System—–
Abbati Bako,psc,bsis,Kent,alumni,UK’s European University
Professor Paul Collier of Oxford University London says, “In a democracy a government has no choice but to try to deliver what ordinary citizens want” (2009,UK) that’s Democratic system for you; either in advanced or emerging Democracy. Without doing that can be described as “democrazy” Paul Collier 2009, UK, Tata Mentan 2007 Eritrea, Larry Diamond, 1998, USA.
Unfortunately, democracy in Nigeria and other developing democracies has not been perfectly successful. That has been the root cause of the coup d’etat in the West African Subregion. After the transfer of power from military dictatorship in 1999 in Nigeria to democratic regime, competitive political elections became a serious problem. Corruption, violence and election rigging became a child play and since then for the past 25 years of Democracy in Nigeria the problem is still persistence.
Elections are the heart and backbone of Democracy. If competitive political elections are perfectly organized, supervised and conducted peacefully this means that democracy will prevail in the country. And if not, then it means democracy is shallow and peripheral in the society or nation. This writing argues that there is a link between election violence and democracy in Nigeria. But the result of my analysis will tell or prove otherwise.
Another problem is the political elites who want to get power at all costs. In less developed democracies the simple way to invest money (money bag politics) and make profitable returns in joining politics.
Corruption and lack of accountability in both private and government sectors is another point worthy of consideration.
Another issue to be taken into consideration is the ethnicity in our body politics in Africa. Ethnicity is a very broad term which can be defined in different ways depending on the context. However, in this context, ethnicity is defined as a shared cultural identity involving similar practices, initiation, beliefs and linguistic features passed over from one generation to another.
In Nigeria, issues of ethnicity and identity continue to be of great importance in politics. Paradoxically, prior to independence, some colonial administrators manipulated ethnic rivalries amongst indigenous populations by employing a strategy of divide and rule; this strategy created enmity, hatred and suspicion among Nigerian people and the situation has not significantly changed.
Most politicians across Nigeria and other developing countries are using ethnicity to promote their political image. The advent of multiparty politics was characterized by the emergence of sectional based political parties. That’s what used to create a lot of political crises in most African Democratic systems.
Hence, violence is prohibited in Democracy because “there is no link between Democracy and violence” Prof. Albena Azmanova, Kent, 2010. But rigging and violence is becoming the only tools to winning elections in Nigeria and other emerging Democracies. Another tool in winning elections in Nigeria and other Global South has been via the judicial system. Only late President Umar Musa Yar’adua (of blessed memory) among the elected Presidents in Nigeria tried to reform the situation. Could the current President Bola Ahmed Tinibu salvage the situation?
To be continued Insha’aAllah
Peoplesmind
