Nigeria’s democracy: Does power really reside with the people?
This opinion piece argues that Nigerian democracy is undermined when political elites impose their will rather than respecting the popular vote. The author calls for citizens to assert their power at the polls to ensure true democratic participation.
Why it matters
The article addresses the health of democratic institutions and the importance of civic engagement in Nigeria.
Add as a preferred source By: Gideon Alabi
Democracy is a system of government that involves popular participation, not imposed opinion. In democracy, people have the power to select the person whom they want, to govern them over a period of time.
The recent election in Osun State has raised the hope of many that there’s still power with the people as they can still elect whom they want and not imposed agenda by higher body in the government structure.
But the remark of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and former governor of Rivers State, Mr Nyesom Wike, as well as Fayose the former governor of Ekiti State, has left an impression that those in Federal Government cadre, over the time, had been using all means to acquire power for themselves, hence the will of the people is not popular.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in