According to Nigerian Tribune, In a recent interview, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, a former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), reflected on his involvement in the June 12 movement, which played a pivotal role in ending military rule in Nigeria on May 29, 1999. Dr. Agbakoba, known for his association with the United Action for Democracy (UAD) and the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), shared insights on the progress of democracy in Nigeria, the participation of pro-democracy activists in politics, and his perspectives on the governance formula proposed for the country. He also commented on the current administration under President Bola Tinubu and the significant influence that governors exert over traditional institutions.
In his June 12 national broadcast, President Bola Tinubu acknowledged Dr. Agbakoba as one of the heroes of the June 12, 1993 struggle. Dr. Agbakoba, when asked about the realization of the intents behind the formation of NADECO, expressed mixed feelings. He pointed out that while democracy has technically been achieved in Nigeria through regular elections, the true quality and effectiveness of this democratic process remain questionable. He emphasized the importance of genuine participation and the accurate counting of votes, highlighting that these aspects are critical for a functioning democracy.
Dr. Agbakoba drew a comparison with the United Kingdom's political climate, where the Labour Party is expected to overwhelmingly defeat the Conservatives in the upcoming elections due to the latter's poor performance over the past 14 years. He questioned whether Nigeria has reached a stage where poor performance by a ruling party would result in its electoral defeat. According to him, if this is not the case, then Nigeria's political process is still lacking essential elements of accountability and responsiveness to the will of the people.
Reflecting on the broader political landscape, Dr. Agbakoba stressed the need for a robust and participatory political process in Nigeria. He underscored that the mere presence of elections does not equate to genuine democracy unless there is an effective mechanism for holding leaders accountable and ensuring that votes truly reflect the people's choices. The challenge, as he sees it, is to move beyond the superficial aspects of democracy to establish a system where performance and public opinion directly influence electoral outcomes.
He said: So people cannot say there is no democracy in Nigeria because you have elections. But the question is: what is the quality of that process? Are people participating? Are their votes counting? Can we, in Nigeria, for instance, have what is happening in the United Kingdom where Labour Party is going to whitewash the conservatives? Conservatives are reputed to going to lose this election. This is going to be the worst result in about 100 years, because in the last 14 years, they have performed badly. Do we have a situation here where as a result of bad performance, people can say, ‘We will not vote you.’ If that is not the case, clearly, we don’t have a political process. To be quite honest with you.