By Harry Awurumibe, Editor Abuja Bureau
As Nigerians are still waiting for the Legislative and Executive arms of government to give Nigerians a new Electoral Bill which will make the country’s electoral processes credible, a university teacher, Professor Olajumoke Yacob-Haliso, has written off the kind of democracy being practiced in Nigeria.
She also said democracy is not only about contest for power called Election as there are so much politicians and political parties can do to make the society move forward.
Professor Yacob-Haliso who is Dean of Social Sciences and Professor of Political Science at Babcock University, Ogun state spoke on Channels Television breakfast programme Sunrise Daily on Thursday.
According to the Lecturer who was one of the guests onset reviewing Nigeria’s Political Landscape in the outgoing year, argued that democratic system of government has been bastardized in Nigeria by the political class.
Said she: “Ordinary citizens do not feel the positive impact of democracy in Nigeria because the political class has not lived up to the expectations of the masses.
“The truth is that Nigeria is not practising true democracy and the evidence is everywhere as those who captured political power have hung on it for too long”.
“In fact, Nigeria is practising Gerontocracy as some people have been in the corridors of power since the country’s independence in 1960. Nigeria is been ruled by old people. That is why we are where we are today”.
Professor Yacob-Haliso, who was a former member, Nigeria Election Support Group stated that democracy as a political system means restructuring but regretted that both politicians and political parties have conspired to make nonsense of the system.
“Political system means restructuring but
political parties are always inventing ways to subvert Electoral Reforms for their selfish interest while ordinary citizens do not feel the positive impact of democracy in Nigeria”, she insists.
The University Don also berated political parties for lacking internal democracy, pointing out that Nigerian political parties are everything but democratic in all their operations.
She said it is the lack of internal democracy that drive the political parties to invent several ways of subverting reform by the country’s electoral umpire, Independence Electoral Commission (INEC).
Also speaking on the programme,
Debo Ologunagba National Publicity Secretary of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), argued that PDP has evolved after losing power to the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) twice in seven years.
According to him: “PDP is favourably disposed to reforms hence PDP led from the front when APC led
NASS rejected E-transmission of Results in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill but PDP Caucus in the National Assembly staged a walkout in the NASS to protest the decision which forced members of Senate and Federal House of Representatives to make a U-turn in the matter”.
But Andrew Abu, APC Chieftain says political parties are not run by the Angels from heaven and will continue to make improvement in the years ahead.
