Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, has said that democracy in Nigeria is gradually dying because it no longer serves the people or holds leaders accountable.
Obi made the remark on Tuesday, September 17, while participating in the 2025 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Annual Democracy Dialogue held in Accra, Ghana, with the theme *“What Makes Democracy Die?”*
According to him, democracy thrives when leaders prioritize accountability, security, education, healthcare, and poverty reduction. He noted, however, that in Nigeria, democratic governance has been reduced to “a process of elite state capture, granting access to public resources for personal and family interests.”
“Democracy dies when it ceases to be accountable to the people and when it no longer prioritises their needs. Nigeria is a typical example of where democracy is dying,” Obi said.
To reverse the trend, the former Anambra State governor urged Nigerians to take elections more seriously by ensuring that only leaders with competence, capacity, character, compassion, and commitment to service are elected.
“A new Nigeria is possible,” he concluded.