June 12: Nigeria not celebrating true democracy, only electoral processes – Udenta

A political analyst and founding National Secretary of Alliance for Democracy,  Prof Udenta Udenta, says Nigeria is not celebrating true democracy.

Fielding questions in an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’ on Friday, Udenta stated that Nigeria is only celebrating electoral processes.

He was speaking as the nation marked the 27th anniversary of uninterrupted democracy.

“Nigeria is not celebrating true democracy but electoral processes. What we now have, as I said, is the tipping of the form of democracy. We don’t have literal interventions.

“We are celebrating with the president 27 years of an uninterrupted march of democracy. That’s not democracy marching, that’s electoral processes matching.

“Democracy is not just about legalism; it is about legitimacy. While we may have stability in terms of democratic order, there is an emptiness in the substance of democracy, as people are increasingly hungry and overwhelmed by despair and discontent.

“Today in Nigeria, we are facing one of the worst cost-of-living crises in a generation,” he said.