Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has criticised Nigeria’s democratic system, arguing that the model inherited from the West lacks the African content and context needed to effectively address the continent’s challenges.
Obasanjo made the remarks while speaking on the state of democracy in Africa, where he renewed his longstanding call for African countries to develop democratic systems that reflect their history, culture and realities.
The former president argued that simply adopting a Western model of democracy has not necessarily produced good governance or improved the welfare of citizens. He maintained that democracy should be designed around the needs and circumstances of the people it is intended to serve.
Obasanjo has previously called on African leaders to re-examine the democratic system inherited from colonial powers. In 2024, he argued that African countries should develop a form of democracy rooted in African heritage while maintaining principles such as good leadership, strong institutions and the rule of law.
He has also criticised what he sees as the inability of existing democratic structures to adequately deliver development and accountability across the continent. According to him, African democracy should focus more directly on improving citizens’ welfare rather than merely reproducing political structures inherited from elsewhere.
His latest comments come amid continuing debates about whether Western liberal democracy is suitable for African societies. Obasanjo has advocated a system that retains democratic accountability while incorporating elements of African political traditions and communal values.
The former president’s position has, however, generated debate among scholars and political commentators. Critics of the idea of an alternative “African democracy” have argued that problems with governance in Africa are more closely linked to weak institutions, corruption, electoral shortcomings and failures of political accountability than to the Western origins of representative democracy.
Obasanjo’s remarks therefore add to a long-running conversation about how African countries can strengthen democratic governance while ensuring that political systems genuinely respond to the needs and aspirations of their citizens.
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