Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo has insisted that Western liberal democracy has not worked for Africa.

Obasanjo said liberal democracy does not take into account the continent’s history, culture and tradition.

The former President explained that the Western style of democracy failed in Africa because it does not consider the views of the majority of the people.

He stated this while delivering his keynote address at a high-level consultation on ‘Rethinking Western Liberal Democracy for Africa’ in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital.

Obasanjo, the convener of the gathering, described Western liberal democracy as “a government of a few people over all the people or population and these few people are representatives of only some of the people and not full representatives of all the people.

”Invariably, the majority of the people are wittingly or unwittingly kept out, he said.”

He advocated for what he termed, ‘Afro democracy’ in place of Western liberal democracy.

According to him, African countries have no business in operating a system of government in which they have no hand in its “definition and design”

Obasanjo said, “The weakness and failure of liberal democracy as it is practised stem from its history, content and context and its practice.

“Once you move from all the people to a representative of the people, you start to encounter troubles and problems. For those who define it as the rule of the majority, should the minority be ignored, neglected and excluded?

“In short, we have a system of government in which we have no hands to define and design and we continue with it, even when we know that it is not working for us.

“Those who brought it to us are now questioning the rightness of their invention, its deliverability and its relevance today without reform.

“The essence of any system of government is the welfare and well-being of the people: all the people.

“Here, we must interrogate the performance of democracy in the West when it originated from and with us the inheritors of what we are left with by our colonial powers.

“We are here to stop being foolish and stupid. Can we look inward and outward to see what in our country, culture, tradition, practice and living over the years that we can learn from, adopt and adapt with practices everywhere for a changed system of government that will serve our purpose better and deliver?

“We have to think out of the box and after, act with our new thinking. You are invited here to examine clinically the practice of liberal democracy, identify its shortcomings for our society and bring forth ideas and recommendations that can serve our purpose better, knowing human beings for what we are and going by our experiences and the experiences of others.

“We are here to think as leaders of thought in academia and leaders of thought with some experience in politics.”

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Governor Caleb Mutfwang has described the judgment of the Court of Appeal that nullified his election as a temporary setback.

The governor said this in a statement by his spokesman, Gyang Bere, issued on Sunday.

The appellate court on Sunday set aside the judgment of the governorship election tribunal that upheld the election of Mr Mutfwang as governor.

It declared Nentawe Yilwatda of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the governorship election.

The governor noted that the judgment would not deter his plans of repositioning the state toward steady growth and development.

Mr Mutfwang expressed strong optimism that his mandate would be restored, adding that his legal team would immediately file an appeal at the Supreme Court.

“I want to assure the people of Plateau that the mandate they overwhelmingly gave me will be restored; I have instructed my legal team to file an appeal at the Supreme Court,” Mr Mutfwang explained. “I hereby admonish citizens of the state and supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to remain calm, for as long as God remains on the throne, the mandate of the people will not be tampered with.”

The governor added, “I want to also reiterate my commitment to the rule of law and assure you all that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I have unwavering faith in the judiciary and the Constitution of Nigeria.”

The governor appealed to the public to be law-abiding, adding that the judgment is a temporary setback.

“I want to strongly appeal to our supporters, as well as citizens of the state, to maintain law and order as Plateau will be victorious,” Mr Mutfwang said. “I reassure you all of my commitment to continually serve the state with dedication and integrity.”

(NAN)

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The Court of Appeal has just sacked Plateau State governor and declared Dr Nentawe of APC as the authentic winner of the Governorship election in 2023.

In nullifying Mutfwang’s election, of the Peoples Democratic Party, the Appellate court in a unanimous judgement led by Justice Okong Abang ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to withdraw his Certificate of Return and give it to the All Progress Congress Govenroship candidate, Nentawe Yiltwatda.

The Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Jos had earlier dismissed Nentawe’s petition challenging Governor Mutwang’s declaration as the duly elected governor of Plateau state

However, the Appeal Court on Sunday ruled that “The Tribunal was in error when it said the appellants lacked the right to contest the conduct of the election.

“Tribunal was hard on the appellant when it likened the appellant to one crying more than the bereaved.

“If the appellant finds his neighbor with a goat that doesn’t belong to him, there is nothing wrong if he complains or raises the alarm”

Details later…

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