Former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, has stated that Nigeria still has a long way to go to achieve a true multi-party democracy, despite commending the country's 26 years of uninterrupted civilian rule.

Speaking on Channels Television's 'Politics Today' program on Friday, Agbakoba expressed concern about the current political landscape where citizens predominantly gravitate toward the ruling party regardless of its identity.

The State of Nigeria's Democracy

"The fact that we have done 26 years uninterrupted, I would like to look at it as half-full glass. I like to be optimistic and say that it is a long journey and that we have come a long way from the days of the military," Agbakoba remarked.

However, the senior advocate pointed out significant shortcomings in the current democratic setup. "It is not perfect. There is a lot that still needs to be done. Democracy still needs to be consolidated," he added.

Agbakoba highlighted that President Bola Tinubu himself acknowledged these challenges during his address at the National Assembly, noting that Nigeria lacks a robust multi-party system of democracy.

The Problem of One-Party Dominance

"We still have a situation of just one party where everyone wants to join the national elite party. Whether it's the PDP, APGA or APC, the manifestoes are not different," Agbakoba observed.

"So, we still got a long way to go to achieve multi-party democracy where you have a clearly defined opposition and a clearly defined ruling party," he emphasized.

Democracy Day Recognitions

The legal luminary also commented on President Tinubu's Democracy Day speech at the joint session of the National Assembly, where several heroes of the June 12 democracy struggle were honored with national awards. While praising this gesture, Agbakoba, who was among the activists that led the struggle, noted that the list of honorees remains incomplete.

BenriNews reports that the awardees included activists, journalists, and scholars who vocally opposed the military government during that period.

Call for Local Government Autonomy

Agbakoba further urged President Tinubu to grant local government councils complete political autonomy to govern their areas effectively. He acknowledged that the administration has made progress with financial autonomy following the Supreme Court judgment of July 2024, but insisted that political independence is equally crucial for grassroots governance.

As Nigeria continues its democratic journey, Agbakoba's assessment serves as both an acknowledgment of progress made and a reminder of the substantial work still required to build a truly representative democracy.

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