Democracy in Danger: Atiku Abubakar Highlights Sacrifices and Challenges

Democracy in Danger: Atiku Abubakar Highlights Sacrifices and Challenges-OXYGIST

Former Vice President and 2023 People's Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has warned that Nigeria’s democracy is at risk of collapse, failing to deliver the good governance expected by citizens. Speaking at the National Conference on Strengthening Democracy in Nigeria, held at the Continental Hotel, Abuja, on Monday, Atiku expressed concerns about the state of the nation’s democracy while reflecting on his contributions to its development.


Atiku emphasized that Nigeria’s democracy is at a critical juncture, citing systemic failures over multiple administrations as the root cause.


“There’s no doubt that our democracy is at a crossroads. Put simply, it is at the risk of eroding completely. And it is not caused by one single person or one single administration,” Atiku said.


He added, “A number of us have been warning over the years that we may come to this pass if we lose our vigilance and fail to take corrective actions to protect and deepen our democracy.”


The former Vice President highlighted his role in safeguarding Nigeria’s democratic processes, noting that he has consistently advocated for reforms and brought significant legal actions to uphold democratic principles.


“At the risk of sounding modest, I doubt that there are many contemporary senior political leaders who have spoken out and done more to promote democratic governance in our country than me,” he said.


He pointed to his active participation in the struggle to end military rule and his belief in democracy as the foundation for Nigeria’s development and unity.


Atiku decried the failure of democracy to ensure good governance and accused state actors of undermining citizens' freedom to elect their leaders through electoral malpractice and state capture.


“One thing we can’t seriously dispute is the serious decline in governance consistent with the erosion of people’s freedoms to choose leaders,” he said, adding that the increasing difficulty in removing those in power through democratic means is a grave threat to the country’s progress.


To address these challenges, Atiku called for the strengthening of political parties, reform of electoral laws, and improvement of the judiciary.


“Democracy can’t be sustained without strong political parties, especially opposition parties. Parties need to be strong and democratic enough to fulfill their roles. Ownership of parties by or their subordination to individual big men is the antithesis of democracy,” Atiku noted.


He also emphasized the importance of judicial reform, warning that continued corruption within the judiciary would undermine the nation’s democratic institutions.


“If the rot in our judiciary persists without severe consequence for the perpetrators, our parties and our democracy are unlikely to survive,” he cautioned. 

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