{"id":7434,"date":"2025-04-02T22:47:09","date_gmt":"2025-04-02T22:47:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/?p=7434"},"modified":"2025-04-02T22:47:09","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T22:47:09","slug":"peter-obi-declares-nigeria-is-no-longer-a-democracy-a-call-for-change-and-accountability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/02\/peter-obi-declares-nigeria-is-no-longer-a-democracy-a-call-for-change-and-accountability\/","title":{"rendered":"Peter Obi Declares Nigeria Is No Longer a Democracy: A Call for Change and Accountability"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"\" data-start=\"95\" data-end=\"424\">Peter Obi, the Labour Party\u2019s 2023 presidential candidate, has boldly declared that Nigeria no longer qualifies as a democratic nation. During his appearance on ARISE NEWS Prime Time, Obi shared his concerns regarding the current administration, stating that the government does not fulfill the essential principles of democracy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"426\" data-end=\"479\"><strong data-start=\"426\" data-end=\"479\">Obi Criticizes Nigeria\u2019s Government and Elections<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"481\" data-end=\"783\">\u201cThere\u2019s no democracy in Nigeria today,\u201d Obi said, adding that the country has strayed from democratic ideals. He emphasized that true democracy should be defined by governance that reflects the will of the people through free and legitimate elections, which he claims has not been the case in Nigeria.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"785\" data-end=\"1091\">\u201cThe government we have is one of the people, but it\u2019s not by the people,\u201d he argued, pointing out that the people\u2019s votes were not reflected in the outcome of the presidential election. Obi further explained that the issue is not just limited to the presidency, but spans across all levels of governance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1093\" data-end=\"1137\"><strong data-start=\"1093\" data-end=\"1137\">Obi Denounces Suppression of Free Speech<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1139\" data-end=\"1438\">Obi also expressed concern over the suppression of free speech and the erosion of civil liberties in the country. He argued that Nigerians are regularly harassed for speaking out against the government. \u201cThere\u2019s no freedom of speech. People are being detained for making simple statements,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1440\" data-end=\"1502\"><strong data-start=\"1440\" data-end=\"1502\">Nigeria\u2019s Economic Struggles Under Tinubu\u2019s Administration<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1504\" data-end=\"1871\">Turning his attention to the economic landscape, Obi criticized the Tinubu administration\u2019s handling of the economy. He rejected claims of economic progress, pointing to increasing inflation, a depreciating naira, and rising unemployment rates. Obi was particularly vocal about the severe depreciation of the naira, which has soared to over 1,000 naira to the dollar.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"1873\" data-end=\"2060\">\u201cWhen you talk about improvements, there are not things you just say. People feel them, people see them,\u201d Obi remarked, dismissing the notion of economic success under the current regime.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2062\" data-end=\"2108\"><strong data-start=\"2062\" data-end=\"2108\">Fuel Subsidy Removal: Lack of Transparency<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2110\" data-end=\"2435\">Obi also questioned the removal of fuel subsidies, demanding transparency regarding where the purported savings were being invested. He emphasized the importance of investing in vital sectors like education, particularly in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, where the lack of primary education is a significant issue.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2437\" data-end=\"2612\">\u201cI visited an IDP camp today. Over 40,000 people live in camps around Abuja, and the one I visited has over 4,000. There\u2019s no primary school for these children,\u201d Obi lamented.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2614\" data-end=\"2658\"><strong data-start=\"2614\" data-end=\"2658\">Nigeria\u2019s Security and Governance Crisis<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2660\" data-end=\"2987\">Obi raised alarm over the country\u2019s worsening security situation, warning that Nigeria is heading towards instability. He warned that without the rule of law, the country would struggle to attract investment and maintain economic stability. \u201cPeople go where there is law and order. Nobody goes where there is chaos,\u201d Obi noted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"2989\" data-end=\"3049\"><strong data-start=\"2989\" data-end=\"3049\">Political Crisis in Rivers State: A Dangerous Escalation<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"3051\" data-end=\"3287\">Obi also weighed in on the political situation in Rivers State, condemning the declaration of a state of emergency. He argued that such drastic measures would only escalate political tensions further and undermine democratic governance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"3289\" data-end=\"3399\">\u201cThere\u2019s a clear path to dealing with the issues in Rivers State without resorting to such actions,\u201d Obi said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" data-start=\"3401\" data-end=\"3662\">Obi\u2019s remarks underscore the urgent need for reforms in Nigeria\u2019s political, economic, and social systems. He has called on the Nigerian government to prioritize the people\u2019s welfare, restore democratic principles, and ensure greater transparency in governance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Peter Obi, the Labour Party\u2019s 2023 presidential candidate, has boldly declared that Nigeria no longer qualifies as a democratic nation. During his appearance on ARISE NEWS Prime Time, Obi shared his concerns regarding the current administration, stating that the government does not fulfill the essential principles of democracy. Obi Criticizes Nigeria\u2019s Government and Elections \u201cThere\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1091,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"Peter Obi criticizes Nigeria's current government, highlighting the absence of true democracy, economic struggles, and security concerns.","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35,36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-politics"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7434"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7434"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7434\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7437,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7434\/revisions\/7437"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7434"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7434"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}