On March 2, 2023, Peter Obi declared he would contest the results of the intensely contested presidential election in Nigeria, following the official declaration that Bola Tinubu, the candidate of the ruling party, had won. (Image courtesy of AFP/KOLA SULAIMON)
Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate for 2023, has urged the general public and political leaders to uphold and defend the democratic state’s institutions by abiding by the law and answering to the people.
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In a series of tweets on X Wednesday, Obi stated that democracy went beyond elections and involved carrying out the constitutionally mandated duties of responsible governance.
His remarks are based on the shortly after Nigeria celebrates Democracy Day on June 12, 2024, he asserts that it is feasible to have a real community in which democracy can flourish.
‘The essential question for all of us remains: Are we truly democratic? Today, as our beloved nation celebrates Democracy Day and recognizes 25 years of striving to be a democratic country?
These principles will serve as the cornerstones of our real democracy as we construct a New Nigeria. It’s feasible,” he continued. the previous contender for president also bemoaned certain numbers, claiming they were signs that the country was not genuinely democratic.
He said, ‘We are now ranked as to further demonstrate that we are not truly democratic and have simply generated the vices listed above as follows: According to the Global Democracy Index, we are ranked low with a democracy index score of 4.23.
Nigeria has a high level of corruption, as evidenced by its ranking of 145th out of 180 countries in the Corruption Perception Index.
We can see that Nigeria disdains the rule of law from our position 120th out of 142 countries on the World Justice Project’s (WJP) Rule of Law Index. As per the 2024 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Nigeria is among the most dangerous and difficult countries in West Africa for journalists.
Out of 180 nations, Nigeria is ranked 112th for the frequency of monitoring, attacks, and arbitrary detentions of journalists. We’re placed 109th out of 125 nations according to the World Hunger Index,’ he remarked.
Political leaders were exhorted by Obi to return to a genuine democracy.
Therefore, let’s take June 12th’s remembrance as a chance to get back to a country that really practices democracy. On June 12, 1993, we accomplished that achievement by voting for democracy in Nigeria as a group. Today, we have to defend Nigeria’s democracy,’ he continued.
