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 criticized the current political landscape where citizens predominantly gravitate toward the ruling party regardless of its identity.
Nigeria's Democratic Journey
"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, he emphasized that Nigeria's democracy remains imperfect and requires significant consolidation. "It is not perfect. There is a lot that still needs to be done. Democracy still needs to be consolidated," he added.
The senior advocate highlighted a concerning trend in Nigeria's political landscape: "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."
According to Agbakoba, a true multi-party democracy requires "a clearly defined opposition and a clearly defined ruling party," elements he believes Nigeria has yet to achieve.
Democracy Day Recognition
Agbakoba's comments came after President Bola Tinubu's Democracy Day speech at the joint session of the National Assembly on Thursday, where the president honored several heroes of the June 12 democracy struggle with national awards.
BenriNews reports that the awardees included activists, journalists, and scholars who vocally opposed the military government during that period.
Agbakoba, who was among the activists that led the struggle, praised the president for the gesture but noted that the list of honorees remains incomplete.
Call for Local Government Autonomy
The legal luminary also urged President Tinubu to grant local government councils political autonomy to effectively govern their areas. He acknowledged that while the Supreme Court judgment of July 2024 provided financial autonomy to local governments, this represents only half the necessary reforms.
Agbakoba's assessment underscores the ongoing challenges in Nigeria's democratic evolution, highlighting the need for structural reforms to establish a genuine multi-party system where opposition parties play meaningful roles in governance.
Follow BenriNews on social media for more updates:
