PRESIDENT TINUBU AND THE DISMEMBERMENT OF DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA!
By Adetokunbo Pearse
June 13, 2025
DEMOCRACY by definition is the principle of equal opportunity for all ; characterized by accountability, tolerance, accessibility, respect for the rules of law, respect for the separation of powers between the judiciary, the legislature and the executive arms of government, as well as freedom of the press. When in power, the extent to which a government adheres to this principle usually determines the level of their success or failure. In the last two years, President Tinubu’s administration has demonstrated an unusual abhorrence for these noble principles. Consequently his administration has manifested monumental failure in all areas of society: the economy, security, and harmonious governance. Consider the many ways by which Tinubu and his government have transgressed against the noble ideology of democracy :
INEC and electoral transgression: The Independent National Electoral Commission which was set up to regulate voter registration, promote voter participation, and report election results has been a dismal disappointment in all areas of its responsibility. Also in every election cycle under the APC government since 2015, INEC is able to provide Permanent Voters Card (PVC) to an average of only 30 per cent of those who apply, thus depriving millions of citizens of the right to exercise their democratic right to vote in an election. Nepotism in appointments: The concept of Federal Character in the appointment of government officials was meant to give every ethnic group a sense of belonging. This expression of fairness and inclusion has been rejected by Tinubu in a wholesale manner. Virtually all his appointments at the highest level, and even at lower levels of government have been in favor of his Yoruba ethnic group, or done to reward his friends, family and political allies. Appointments of police officers, Security officers and military personnel have followed the same pattern. This president has shown a wanton disregard for merit, equity or fairness in his appointment practices.
An outlandish example of Tinubu’s nepotism is demonstrated in the controversial Lagos-to-Calabar Coastal Road project. Without recourse to the National Assembly, without going through the bidding process, and without professional review of the project, Tinubu unilaterally made the award of a 700 billion dollar project. And to add to the level of lawlessness involved, Tinubu made the award to Mr Chagoury, a man well known to be a friend and business partner of the president.
Disregard for the separation of powers: One of the major hallmarks in the structure of government in a democracy is the separation of powers of government between the Executive, the Legislature, and the Judiciary. The purpose of this division of powers is to ensure that no organ becomes too powerful and able to dominate the others. Since becoming president, Tinubu has taken it upon himself to usurp the powers of the judiciary, the legislature, even as he maintains full control over the Executive arm in his capacity as president. Tinubu’s policy has been to erode all lines of checks and balances in government operations. The Presidency, even more alarming, it is the president himself by himself who runs the country. Tinubu speaks for all his ministers, and all his party members, including the party’s National Chairman. The march towards a one-party state: In his determination to destroy all opposition, and position his political party, APC as the only political party in Nigeria, Tinubu has declared war on PDP, the country’s main opposition party. He has planted double agents within the PDP. He has gone after PDP governors, converting them into the APC through. Neither have some smaller opposition parties been spared. The Labour Party has been infiltrated to the point where it is today in disarray. The party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi who put up a remarkable performance in the 2023 election, has been the victim of a calculated smear campaign.
As is typical of autocrats, Tinubu is intolerant of not only opposition political parties, but of contrary opinion of any type. To that effect, he has clamped down, jailed or destroyed civil society groups, journalists, social commentators and protesters who demand better performance from his administration. In May 2025 , Bola Ahmed Tinubu made an anti-democratic move which is arguably his most audacious to date. Without voting at a Party Convention, and without recourse to any party member who may be interested in contesting the presidency, Tinubu had himself declared the sole presidential candidate of the APC in the forthcoming 2027 election. Here was a blatant abuse of power, and a clear disregard for the democratic process. Tinubu’s disdain for the democratic ideology of equal opportunity knows no bounds. He has enthroned himself as the sole administrator of his party, and by destroying all opposition parties, wants to establish his political party, APC as the one and only political party in the country.
In conclusion, as we approach the 2027 general elections, the ultimate purpose of Tinubu’s efforts to crush all opposition political parties is for this purpose: to position his party, the All Progressives Congress APC, as the sole political party in Nigeria, and himself as the country’s only presidential candidate. Needless to say, all persons of good will must make it a sacred duty to resist Tinubu’s effort to rob them of their democratic right to vote for candidates of their choice represented by the political party of their choice.
•Pearse, PhD., is a public affairs analyst; Convener, Reset Lagos PDP, and member, Board of Governors, Peoples Democratic Institute, PDI.
https://tribuneonlineng.com/the-dismemberment-of-democracy-in-nigeria/
