The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has said the increasing attacks on journalists in Nigeria, is not practising democracy but a state capture.
A handful journalists have come under increasing attacks with a number of them thrown into jail without trial for months under the administration of Bola Tinubu.
Commemorating 25 years of democracy, Obi decried the attacks on media practitioners insisting that true democracy forbids such state-sponsored attacks on free speech while speaking on Wednesday.
The former Anambra governor said as the country marks democracy day, the fundamental question remains if the country is truly democratic.
He said an unexamined life is not worth living, “so it is now time to re-examine what we have been doing over this quarter of a century.
“Democracy, as we know, is the government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
“While we may say that in 1999 we started in earnest in the right direction, today we have deteriorated into what can be classified as classical state capture. Instead of benefiting all, it has become a deprivation to all.”
He stated that the consequences of not being a true democracy have led to leadership failures that have resulted in “uncontrolled systemic corruption, high levels of insecurity, lack of freedom of speech, increasing poverty rates, and unprecedented levels of hunger and hardship, which remain unsolved and are growing geometrically.”
True democracy, he said, should be people-oriented, where the rights of citizens are respected, the laws are obeyed, the leaders remain accountable to the people, and people’s welfare and care, especially for the poor, become paramount and high priorities.
Unfortunately, he said “the opposite is the case in our situation.”
He pointed out that to “further illustrate that we are not truly democratic and have only produced the vices enumerated above, we are now ranked as follows:
“In the measurement of democracy, we have a democracy index score of 4.23, which ranks us low on the Global Democracy Index.
“In the Corruption Perception Index, we are ranked 145th among the 180 countries measured, showing a high level of corruption in Nigeria.
“In the Rule of Law Measurement, we are ranked 120th out of 142 countries measured in the World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index, indicating that Nigeria suffers from gross disobedience to the rule of law.”
He referenced that the “2024 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) describes Nigeria as one of West Africa’s most dangerous and difficult countries for journalists.
“Nigeria ranks 112th out of 180 countries where journalists are regularly monitored, attacked, and arbitrarily arrested.
“We are ranked 109th out of 125 countries measured on the Global Hunger Index.”
He called for a return to a truly democratic nation, the fear he said was achieved on June 12, 1993, by collectively voting for democracy. “We must stand in defence of Nigeria’s democracy today.
“I urge everyone to respect and protect the institutions of the democratic state, obey the governing laws of the state, be accountable to the people, and fulfil the responsibilities of responsible governance as contained in the constitution.
“As we build a New Nigeria, these tenets shall be the pillars of our true democracy. It is possible,” Obi said.