….Says democracy”ll die without reform
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has issued a stark warning that democracy risks collapse unless urgently reformed, while also breaking his silence on long-standing allegations that he once schemed for a third term in office.
Speaking at the Democracy Dialogue of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana, Obasanjo declared that democracy in its current practice is “failing to deliver” and could soon be “buried” if not restructured.
“Democracy dies because democracy has refused to be reformed; what we have now is a government of some people, by some people, over all the people. If democracy is not reformed in context, in content and in practice, it will not only fail, it will die and be buried”, he stated
The former Nigerian leader stressed that democracy’s greatest flaw lies in its distortion from “government of the people” to mere “rule of the majority,” which he argued sidelines minorities and undermines inclusivity. “If you talk about the government of the majority, what do you do with the minority? Then the minority is not part of the people?” he queried.
Obasanjo, however, insisted that despite its imperfections, democracy remains irreplaceable. He likened its internal decay to a local proverb: “The thing that killed the vegetable is the insect in the vegetable”, warning that democracy is being destroyed from within.
Turning to a subject that has dogged his legacy for nearly two decades, Obasanjo dismissed allegations that he ever sought a third term while in office between 1999 and 2007. “I think I’m not a fool. If I wanted it — and some thought I wanted it — I know how to go about it. There is no Nigerian, dead or alive, that will say I called him and told him I wanted a third term. None”, he said firmly.
Obasanjo argued that if he could secure debt relief for Nigeria — which he described as a much tougher challenge — he could have secured a third term if he truly wanted one. “If I wanted a third term, I would have got it”, he declared.
He also blasted leaders who cling to power, describing them as committing a “sin against God”. According to him, leadership must constantly make room for younger, vibrant voices.
“I know that the best is done when you are young, ideal and dynamic. But some people believe that unless they are there, nobody else can do it. That is a sin against God”, Obasanjo further said.
