Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

Nigerians have been charged to reclaim the country’s democratic institutions from the grip of political and economic elites who have continued to weaken state structures for personal aggrandisement.

This call was made on Sunday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, by Associate Professor AbdulMumin Yinka Ajia, at his 2025 Annual Colloquium, where prominent scholars, civil society actors, students and advocates of good governance gathered to interrogate the current state of Nigeria’s democracy.

Ajia, who was the convener, warned that Nigeria is facing a critical threat of state capture, a situation where democratic institutions are no longer accountable to the people but only serve the interests of a powerful few.

“Democracy in Nigeria is not failing because people have stopped voting; it is failing because those who should defend institutions are the ones subverting them,” Ajia said.

He lamented that elections, inaugurations and political promises have become empty rituals, detached from the real needs of the people, urging Nigerians not to allow democracy to become a façade.

He said: “Today, institutions are captured not by military juntas but by civilian elites who have turned public agencies into tools for regime protection.”

Ajia further criticised the state of Nigeria’s key democratic institutions, including the judiciary, security agencies, and the electoral commission, lamenting that conflicting court judgments, compromised law enforcement, and questions over electoral credibility all point to a deeper democratic crisis.

“When INEC cannot guarantee credible elections, when the police protect those in power instead of the people, and when civil servants serve party interests rather than the public, then we are not in a true democracy—we are in civilian authoritarianism,” he warned.

Despite the bleak picture, Ajia expressed hope that change is possible, alluding to the growing civic awakening across the country, particularly among young people, civil society organisations, and emerging political movements like the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

“The rise of credible opposition platforms like the ADC is a sign that democratic renewal is not just possible, but already underway,” he noted.

The Colloquium, now in its second year, aims to stimulate civic action and thought leadership on democracy, governance, and institutional reform. Ajia emphasised that the forum is not just an academic gathering, but a rallying point for citizens to take back ownership of the democratic process.

For his part, Veteran politician and Public Affairs Analyst, Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo, declared that Nigeria is experiencing a mere illusion of democracy, where elections are held without the substance of true democratic governance.

Akogun Oyedepo, who spoke while delivering a thought-provoking paper titled “Elections Without Democracy” at the 2nd Colloquium,
questioned the authenticity of the country’s democratic credentials. According to him, what Nigeria practices is not democracy but elite domination masked by periodic elections.

“In my opinion, the outcome of our elections thus far is a conspiracy of the elites to institute governments that serve their interests, not that of the general populace,” Oyedepo stated, expressing dismay over the trajectory of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.

He lamented that despite conducting seven general elections since 1999, none could be described as truly free, fair, or reflective of the people’s will. He pointed to the 2007 general elections under former President Olusegun Obasanjo as the worst in the history of the Fourth Republic, describing it as an antithesis of democracy.

“Our democracy was never genuinely birthed by the people. Unlike America, where visionary leaders convened to form a union, our own version was crafted in secret by military, business, and academic elites. The people were mere spectators,” he added.

Oyedepo warned that Nigeria’s democracy is fast becoming an empty shell, where elections serve only to legitimise the grip of a few on political power, citing cases of ballot snatching, vote buying, and manipulation of electoral bodies as examples of how elections are rigged to produce predetermined outcomes.

“Elections in Nigeria have become a ritual without meaning. What the gun could not achieve, a flawed election now delivers. If the people are unable to express their will through voting, then we have elections without democracy,” he declared.

The veteran political actor also faulted Nigeria’s politicians party system, describing it as ideologically barren and dominated by moneybags. He noted that the lack of internal party democracy and the influence of godfathers have turned parties into private enterprises serving selfish ends.

Oyedepo, however, called for a complete overhaul of Nigeria’s democratic values and structures, saying the current system has failed to deliver the promise of governance for the people.

Also speaking, Tanko Yunusa, the National Interim Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, has criticised the current state of Nigeria’s democracy, describing it as one that no longer serves the people, noting that the system now favours the powerful and wealthy, sidelining the masses whose needs should be prioritised.

“How do you explain that those who are supposed to govern you are the same ones impoverishing you, keeping people in perpetual hunger and joblessness?” he asked.

He decried a system where access to jobs depends on knowing influential people, not merit, asking “Is that democracy?”

Yunusa accused the government of destroying Nigeria’s democracy by ignoring principles of transparency and accountability, noting that citizens remain in the dark about how public funds are spent.

End