Nigeria Has Never Experienced Genuine Democracy — Farotimi

Human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, has said Nigeria has never practised genuine democracy, describing the country’s democratic experience as a “performative shadow” of real democratic governance.

Farotimi made the remarks during an interview on News Central Television, where he criticised Nigeria’s electoral process, the judiciary, and the emergence of some political office holders, whom he said should not have occupied their positions.

According to him, many Nigerians place too much emphasis on the presidency while ignoring deeper structural problems within the political system.

“Nigeria has never experienced genuine democracy. We’ve only ever had a performative shadow of a democracy,” Farotimi said.

He specifically cited Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Senate President Ahmed Lawan as examples of politicians whose emergence in the National Assembly, he claimed, contradicted provisions of the Electoral Act.

“When you focus on the presidency, you lose sight of the emergence of people like Godswill Akpabio and Ahmed Lawan, who emerged in the Senate in spite of the fact that they were not even qualified to run,” he said.

“They were expressly disqualified by the provisions of the Electoral Act. But they ended up in the Senate, and the court endorsed it.”

Farotimi further accused the judiciary of abandoning its constitutional role as an impartial arbiter, saying it has become an instrument for legitimising actions that should not have been allowed under the law.

According to him, political actors often act first and then rely on the courts to validate their actions afterwards.

“So, you had a situation where our judicial system has become an instrument for working from the answer to the question. They do it first, and then they find a way for the judiciary to ratify what is already done,” he stated.

“The judiciary is no longer there to adjudicate based on law and equity. It is there to rationalise what has been done that should never be done.”

His comments come amid renewed debate over the credibility of Nigeria’s democratic institutions, with critics continuing to question the independence of the judiciary and the integrity of the electoral process.

Meanwhile, controversy has trailed recent remarks by Senate President Akpabio regarding lawmakers who failed to secure their party tickets ahead of the 2027 general elections.

More than 20 senators, particularly members of the ruling APC, reportedly failed to secure re-election tickets during senatorial primaries, while others were screened out or defeated.

The Electoral Act 2026 amendment has also introduced stricter rules on party membership and candidate nomination, including provisions restricting defection after party registers have been submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).