‘Nigeria Is Not A Working Democracy, We Don’t Have A Political Party In Nigeria Today’ – Pat Utomi

A professor of political economy, Pat Utomi, has lamented the lack of a functioning democracy in Nigeria.

Speaking on Tuesday during an interview on Arise TV, Utomi said Nigeria does not have any political party at the moment in the real sense of how democracy should work.

The political economist said what the country has been having since its return to democracy in 1999 is simply a platform for machine politics with the aim of grabbing power by all means and sharing the spoils of governance.

He added that it is of utmost importance to ensure democracy works in Nigeria with real political parties in place before the 2027 general elections.

In his words, “Nigeria is not a working democracy, and part of our efforts is to make our democracy work before people think about the next election. Countries don’t grow by waiting for the next electoral process; countries grow through the founding of political parties.

“I can say without any feeling of wrongness that we don’t have a political party in Nigeria today. What we have been able to couple together since 199 has been a platform for machine politics, where the game is to grab power rightly or wrongly and share spoils.”

As a solution, Utomi said he is working on a merger of all the front-runners from the 2023 general elections to present a common platform and put forward one person who can get the job done in 2027.

“My view is clear on this matter, let’s build a great party that can make Nigeria better. When we then build it, the people from different social movements, in addition to the political parties that come into this one party, subscribe to certain values and ideologies of how you make a nation happen, can then present those who seem interested can go forward.

“This is what Nigeria needs, and must have but shouldn’t be about some individuals advertising that they are the ones who should go forward, Nigerians will determine that,” he said.