African leaders and elder statesmen have warned about the impending collapse of democracy in the continent if urgent and strategic actions are not taken by all stakeholders.
The leaders, including incumbent and former presidents, made the stark observation during the Democracy Dialogue of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana.
The elder statesmen include Nigeria’s former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, former president Goodluck Jonathan and President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama.
The dialogue was also attended by the president of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto diocese of Catholic on Wednesday.
The concern of the elder statesmen followed rising global discuss over threats to democratic values and weakened institutions in the face the authoritarian tendencies.
Leading the conversation, Obasanjo warned that democracy would collapse if crucial reforms are not done to its current form.
Obasanjo, who was chairman of the occasion, said democracy as practiced, had drifted from its original version of government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
“Democracy dies because democracy has refused to be reformed,” he declared, “There are three aspects of democracy that cannot continue to exist the way it was as defined by the American president; government of the people, by the people and for the people.
“In that definition, democracy is meant to be all people’s action, and if democracy will not die and be buried, democracy must be reformed in context, in content, and in practice.”
He lamented that democracy was being destroyed from within due to the way it is currently practiced.
“The thing killing democracy and will kill it is the practice of democracy,” he warned, adding, “All the essentials that should be part and parcel of democracy are being ignored or bastardised in such a way that democracy has failed to deliver.”
He continued, “And democracy cannot deliver unless it is reformed. If it is not reformed, it will not only fail, it will die and be buried.”
However, Obasanjo maintained that there is no ideal substitute to democracy, in its true form, in spite of its flaws.
He further flawed the interpretation of democracy as simply “government of the majority,” noting that it marginalises minorities and undermines inclusivity.
“And they talk of government of democracy as government of the majority. If you talk of government of the majority, what do you do with the minority? Then minority is not part of the people?” Obasanjo queried.
On his part, former president Jonathan declared that any leader who fails to perform should be voted out if proper elections were conducted.
He further identified election manipulation as one of the biggest threats to democracy in Africa, stressing also that unless reforms are done democracy would collapse in Africa.
In a statement yesterday, the communications officer at Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, Mr Wealth Dickson Ominabo, quoted the former president as saying that where democracy fails to meet expectations, desperation could open the door to authoritarianism.
He added that leaders must commit to the kind of democracy that guarantees a great future for the children where their voices matter.
He said: “Democracy in Africa continent is going through a period of strain and risk collapse unless stakeholders come together to rethink and reform it. Electoral manipulation remains one of the biggest threats in Africa.
“We in Africa must begin to look at our democracy and rethink it in a way that works well for us and our people. One of the problems is our electoral system. People manipulate the process to remain in power by all means.
“If we had proper elections, a leader who fails to perform would be voted out. But in our case, people use the system to perpetuate themselves even when the people don’t want them.
“Our people want to enjoy their freedoms. They want their votes to count during elections. They want equitable representation and inclusivity. They want good education. Our people want security. They want access to good healthcare. They want jobs. They want dignity. When leaders fail to meet these basic needs, the people become disillusioned.”
He also spoke on youth participation in governance, describing it as very encouraging, but emphasisied that for the youth to succeed in governance, they need the wisdom and experience of older people to guide them.
Also speaking, President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, said democracy would not survive unless Africans actively worked to protect and strengthen it.
“Democracy will not survive if we don’t work for it. We need a reset of democracy and governance to ensure accountability. Anybody who wants to serve must be accountable to the people. Our citizens are tired of corruption, misgovernance, and lack of opportunities.”
“To renew democracy, we must strengthen institutions, deliver development, and educate our citizens. We must protect the media and civic space. A free press is democracy’s immune system.
“Democracy dies when citizens lose faith, when leaders abandon integrity, and when institutions succumb to capture. But democracy can be renewed when citizens rise to defend it,” he said.
