Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, has declared that the Western democratic liberal model has failed in Nigeria and proposed a new system of government for the country.

Speaking on Arise Television's Morning Show programme on Friday, Agbakoba advocated for what he termed "consociational democracy" - a system that would build institutional democracy around Nigeria's existing traditional structures.

"I think that the basic problem is that the Western democratic liberal model has failed. Nigeria, as you know, we've worked on a new constitutional process for 25 years, since 2000 and nothing," Agbakoba stated.

The senior lawyer criticized the current political system as non-inclusive, divisive, and characterized by a "winner-take-all" mentality, noting how opposition politicians frequently defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

"It's time to rethink and reimagine our democratic experience. It's not working, it's not inclusive, it's divisive. It's full of fighting. People want power, nobody wants to be in the opposition," he emphasized.

Agbakoba, now 72, suggested incorporating traditional rulers into Nigeria's constitutional framework, citing the example of King Charles as a constitutional monarch who plays significant roles in the United Kingdom's trade processes and international relations.

"I am a very strong person for finding a role for traditional rulers. King Charles is the constitutional monarch of the United Kingdom, and he has a role to play," he said.

The legal luminary recommended the Belgian model of governance, where different ethnic groups (Walloons and Flemings) have established an arrangement that ensures inclusion despite their differences.

"Whatever process we want to adopt, the first point would be to discard the Western democratic liberal model, it is not working. It's something that enables only a few to extract," Agbakoba insisted.

Reflecting on his decades of experience with Nigeria's political system, Agbakoba concluded: "I started at 29, now I'm 72. If something hasn't worked for all this time, is it not time we think through a process?"