Emeka Ihedioha

The Monday, 24 March 2025 colloquium to mark the 60th birthday of former Imo State Governor, Emeka Ihedioha, attracted former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Peter Obi, Matthew Hassan Kukah, Emeka Anyaoku and other powerful Nigerians. They seized the opportunity to speak on the challenges of democracy in Africa and Nigeria.

Obasanjo went historica, saying thagt the Greek model of democracy ensured that all citizens participate directly in their affairs, adding that what “is practiced now is a representative system that does not take care of everybody.”

He added that before colonial rule, Africa practiced democracy, a system of government which attended to the needs of its people.

Obasanjo lamented that in Africa, “democracy was becoming a system of government by a small number of people over a large population.”

He asked rhetorically: “Is democracy failing in Africa?

“Are we talking of democracy or western liberal democracy?

“Abraham Lincoln describes it as a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

“But what do we have today?

“Greek democracy affects everyone, but democracy has now become representative democracy and it doesn’t take care of everyone.

“Democracy in Africa has failed because it’s not African, it doesn’t have our culture and way of life.

“Democracy is dying in Africa and to save it.

“It should be made in the context of Africa,”

Similarly, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Bishop Hassan Kukah, described democracy in Africa as a work in progress.

Kukah, the Guest Speaker, said: “We Africans inherited a system that’s not ours, but we can’t say it’s not relevant to us.

“There are differences between democracy in Asia and that of Africa.

“What do you make of the tenets of democracy in Africa?”

He noted that democracy was about equity and justice, adding that there must also be a mechanism for measuring the growth of democracy.

He said: “The democratisation of development leads to the development of democracy.

“That is if you decide to equitably democratise development and not take every institution, university, medical school, whatever to your village and if all the roads are done.

“If we do not have a mechanism by which we are measuring our growth, our chase for a democratic society becomes an empty chase.

“Democracy and its principles are an endless contestation of ideas, opportunities, and privileges.

“Those who are privileged want to hold on to their privileges and those who are victims want to insist that life can be better.”

In the same vein, Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, advised Nigeria to imbibe the Indonesian democracy, which endures a proportional representation system of government.

Obi also noted that the democracy practiced in the country is not working as it should.

Recalling his experience, where he had to fight for his mandate after being impeached as governor of Anambra State, Obi maintained that he did not resort to bribery.

He said: “Democracy is not working in Nigeria.

“Everything has been knocked down.

“I didn’t pay a dime to retrieve my mandate.

“When I was impeached, Obasanjo called to ask about my welfare.

“Nigeria should imbibe the Indonesian democracy, proportional representation.’’

Speaking further, Obi said Nigeria’s democracy, which had been progressing since 1999, is now being “knocked down” by the current administration.

He added: “Some people came and knocked everything down.

“That is the situation we are in now.

“Everything has been knocked down.

“Nothing works.

“I became a governor through the court when President Obasanjo and Atiku were in government.

“I did not pay the court one naira.

“I was sitting in my office, and the court declared me the winner.

“It can’t happen in Nigeria today.

“When I was being impeached, the president sent people to come and intervene on my behalf.

“Ken Nnamani came, begging the House (House of Assembly) not to impeach me.

“Today, the president is impeaching a person.

“They were in PDP, I was in APGA.

“The president was calling and saying: ‘Peter, are you okay?’

“Even when I was impeached, President Obasanjo called and said: ‘Are you okay? Are you safe?’

“When the court eventually declared me (the winner) under Andy Uba (as governor), President Yar’Adua called my phone in London and said: ‘Come back.’

“I said: ‘President, I can’t come back.”

“When I came back, the military people came and received me at the airport.

“I couldn’t believe it.

“And took me straight to him.

“Now, the president would ask me not to come back.

“Democracy is collapsing.”

Also, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, said Nigeria could get rid of the crises which impede her development, through stable democratic governance.

Anyaoku said that Africa and Nigeria in particular, have the responsibility to get a stable democracy and change the Eurocentric narrative.

He said: “True federalism is the answer to the management of national issues.

“The recent coup in Mali, Niger tends to take us back.

“The nature of our politics and the conduct of our politicians is another problem of our democracy.

“They have become instruments of capturing political power.”

In his remarks, Ihedioha commended the guests for celebrating him at 60.

He urged Nigerians to continue to defend the country’s democracy.

According to him: “My father told me that the most expensive habit is having friends.

“I have lived my life pursuing the cause for democracy.

“We should all rise to defend democracy.

“I urge all men to always speak truth to power and protect democracy.

“There’s life after money.

“I will remain who I am.

“For me and democracy, it is till God do us apart.”