In a provocative address at former Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha’s 60th birthday colloquium, Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo offered a stark assessment of democracy’s trajectory across the African continent. According to Obasanjo, democracy in Africa isn’t merely experiencing setbacks—it’s facing extinction
At the heart of Obasanjo’s critique lies the fundamental disconnect between Western democratic models and African sociopolitical realities. “If you are talking about democracy failing in Africa, democracy in Africa has failed,” he stated bluntly. “And why has it failed? Because in context and in content, it is not Africa.”
Obasanjo challenges the prevailing assumption that Western liberal democracy represents the universal gold standard for governance. He pointedly questions whether contemporary African nations are practicing genuine democracy or merely implementing ill-fitting Western templates disconnected from local contexts.
The former president reminded his audience that pre-colonial Africa maintained indigenous governance systems that “attended to the needs of our people.” By invoking Abraham Lincoln’s classic definition of democracy as “government of the people, by the people, for the people,” Obasanjo implied that true democratic principles should transcend Western formulations.
Perhaps most damning is Obasanjo’s characterization of Africa’s current democratic landscape as “government of small number of people, by small number of people over large number of people who are deprived of what they need to have in life.” This oligarchic reality, he argues, creates governance systems where leaders can “grab everything illegally and corruptly” while directing citizens to seek justice through compromised judicial systems.
This criticism raises profound questions about institutional integrity across the continent. When leaders can exploit power with impunity while maintaining democratic facades, the core promise of responsive, accountable governance deteriorates.
Obasanjo’s advocacy for “Afro-democracy”—mentioned in related coverage—suggests the need for governance systems that meaningfully incorporate African values, traditions, and social structures. His perspective challenges African nations to move beyond mimicking Western models toward developing contextually appropriate democratic systems.
As Africa continues navigating its complex relationship with democracy, Obasanjo’s observations force a reckoning with fundamental questions: Can transplanted democratic models thrive without adapting to local conditions? What would genuinely African democratic systems look like? And can the continent’s political leadership summon the will to reimagine governance structures that truly serve their populations?
Reference
Democracy in Africa is dying not just failing… Obasanjo