Foremost Nigerian Political Economist, Professor Pat Utomi has expressed concern and worries over the high level of intolerance among the political gladiators ahead of the general elections which start next month.
Utomi, the Convener of The BIG-TENT Coalition of Political Parties, Social Movements and Civil Society Organisations for Obi-Datti presidential ambition expressed this worry at a press conference held at the weekend in Lagos.
The former presidential candidate and founder of Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL), said the nation’s democracy was threatened with a growing situation where opposition parties were denied public facilities to hold rallies in some states ahead of the forthcoming general elections.
“The experience of many who understand the essence of democracy and who are participating in current elections suggest a significant level of a collapse of civility, growing fascism and polarisation of the country by politicians unwilling or unable to focus on the issue.
“Since our return to democracy, a consortium of scholars and pollsters from us and across Africa has been polling and surveying attitudes regarding democracy and elections in Africa. They have offered us longitudinal data on the disposition of society to political life.
“Sadly, the data has shown continuously declining confidence in the democratic order in Nigeria.
“This trend may only possibly be reversed by the new excitement of the Obidient movement which has caused nearly 13 million new voters to register to vote in 2023 in Nigeria,” he said.
Utomi who described Nigeria’s democracy as the collapse of civility, noted that a situation where some state actors used public funds to oppress opposition called for the need to save democracy from its enemies.
According to him, his campaign experience has equally witnessed intimidation of landlords, religious centres and traditional institutions for allowing opposition to use some of their facilities to hold rallies.
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