TODAY marks exactly 20 years of our return to democratic rule. On May 29, 1999, the military regime of General Abdulsalami Abubakar handed over power to an elected President, Olusegun Obasanjo, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Democracy

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Even though the Federal Government has shifted commemoration of our Democracy Day to June 12, today is special in remembering how we got here.

It is also noteworthy that President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, pronounced winner of the 2019 presidential election, will be inaugurated today.

Also, there will be inaugurations of new or re-elected governors in 29 of our 36 states, (except the seven off-cycle states of Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Ekiti, Kogi, Ondo and Osun).

Our democracy has gone through massive upheavals and recorded very limited growth mainly as a result of its hijacking by the military class as soon as the three political parties — PDP, All Peoples Party, APP, and the Alliance for Democracy, AD — were registered in 1998. Obasanjo, a former military ruler,  was brought out of jail and given the mantle to lead the country. Nigeria has for 12 out of 20 years been in the hands of two former military leaders, Obasanjo and Buhari.

As a result, our democracy since 1999 is still dominated and controlled by leaders with military background and orientation. For instance, from 1999 to 2007, the country had as its democratically elected president, General Olusegun Obasanjo, a former military head of state. Obasanjo was succeeded by the late Umaru Yar’Ádua who died in office on May 5, 2010. His deputy, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, completed his term in office before running for election in 2011 which he won. But it is worth noting that, though civilians, both Yar’Adua and Jonathan were aided into office by Obasanjo and his retired generals pals who have continued to wield considerable political influence as godfathers since then.

In seeking re-election in 2015, Jonathan had come up against another former military head of state, General Muhammadu Buhari, who was eventually elected president. Buhari recently won re-election which will keep him in Aso Rock till 2023. 

This trend has made it difficult for state institutions to be allowed to take charge of their constitutional responsibilities. Instead, the “strong man” mentality of military dictatorships has bedevilled our democracy. For instance, supposed “independent” organs such as the INEC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, and others, have been regularly used to feather political nests.

Also, several efforts were made to cow and subsume the National Assembly and the Judiciary. These efforts are still relentlessly being pursued.

Impunity reigns supreme at the state levels where the assemblies have all but given up their power of oversight on the finances of the 36 governorates. As a result, governors rule like emperors, and the local government areas have lost their standing as the third tier of government.

Our democracy needs total overhaul. We must rewrite our Constitution and start electing only proven democrats who will abide by our laws and respect the independence of our state institutions. We are still far from what democratic rule entails.