Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed growing concern over the direction of democracy in Nigeria and across Africa, arguing that the model currently practised on the continent has failed to adequately reflect African realities.
Obasanjo said the democratic system adopted by African countries was largely inherited from the West and had, in his view, left Africans constrained rather than empowered.
The former president made the remarks while participating as a panellist at the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Democracy Dialogue 2026 in Bauchi State.
Speaking on the state of democratic governance, Obasanjo questioned whether Africa could genuinely claim to have developed a democratic model of its own.
He said:
“There is no democracy in Africa, but borrowed and forced liberal democracy that has caged Africans.
“Is there African democracy? Let us not deceive ourselves. There’s nothing like African democracy. We were given Western liberal democracy by our colonial masters.
“For quite some time, I have been increasingly worried about the performance of democracy in Africa, and indeed, in other regions of the world.
“And I believe that the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation was also worried about it, and that was why your theme last year was talking about the death of democracy, or words to that effect.
Obasanjo, however, clarified that his criticism was specifically directed at the Western liberal democratic model, noting that other countries operate different forms of governance and may not share the same concerns about the state of their respective systems.
He said:
“Let me emphasise that we are referring to Western liberal democracy because the Chinese will not agree with you that their own democracy is dying. And maybe the Swiss, who have practised some form of direct democracy, may also not agree with you that their democracy is dying.
“Liberal Western democracy is practised in Europe, the Americas, substantial parts of Southeast Asia, and Australia, and, of course, here on the continent of Africa.”
His intervention at the democracy dialogue comes amid continuing debates over the effectiveness of democratic institutions, governance and political accountability in Nigeria and other African countries.
The former president’s comments are expected to further fuel discussions about whether the democratic structures inherited by African nations are suited to their political, social and economic realities.
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