Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has criticised the model of democracy practised in much of Africa, arguing that the Western liberal system inherited by many African countries lacks sufficient African context and content and has fostered a winner-takes-all political culture.
Obasanjo said the democratic model was not designed around Africa’s historical, cultural and social realities, likening its adoption to wearing a dress that was not made to fit.
The former Nigerian leader spoke on Tuesday at the 2026 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Democracy Dialogue in Bauchi, the Bauchi State capital.
According to Obasanjo, the Western liberal system has created a political culture in which election winners often treat their opponents as enemies rather than members of a loyal opposition.
“The Western liberal democracy that we inherited pulls from monarchy, hence we can have government and loyal opposition, loyal to the monarchy. But when you talk about loyal opposition in an African setting and I have gone into many of African languages, opposition means enemy, that is the word. Then do you have a loyal enemy?” he said.
He added that the perception of political opponents as enemies had contributed to the destructive nature of politics in many African countries.
“So, what do you do with your enemy? You crush him and destroy him and that is what we have. The democracy we practice has no African context, no African content,” Obasanjo said.
He likened the system to wearing clothing that had not been tailored to an individual’s measurements.
“If you try to use what is not meant for you to serve your purpose, it is like a dress for which you are not measured. You try to put it on, it is either too small for you or too big for you. It will not fit and it will not serve your purpose,” he said.
Obasanjo also criticised the first-past-the-post system, saying it reinforces the winner-takes-all character of African politics.
“In practice, we have winner takes all, first past post. If you beat me by one vote, then you take it all and whatever I have does not matter,” he said.
Diversity Must Be Protected
The former president also lamented what he described as the poor management of diversity, warning that democracy must not disregard the importance of accommodating different identities and interests.
He said diversity was fundamental to Nigeria and other African societies and should be deliberately protected and nurtured.
“Nigeria is what it is because of our diversity. Remove diversity out of Nigeria, you will probably have Republic of Oduduwa, that will not be Nigeria, or Republic of Danfodio, that will not be Nigeria. That diversity must be nourished and be taken care of,” he said.
Obasanjo also expressed concern over the growing influence of money and other forms of inducement in African politics, saying the trend had increased “by leaps and bounds.”
While acknowledging that widespread poverty and illiteracy posed challenges to democratic development, he also criticised the persistent gender imbalance in Nigerian politics since the beginning of the Fourth Republic.
“In Nigeria, you call this one Fourth Republic, we have not elected a female governor in more than 24 years. And yet the people we are electing, most of them lack character, the lack attributes and values that can endure and can uplift,” he said.
Obasanjo Calls for African Democratic Model
On the way forward, Obasanjo said Nigeria and other African countries needed to look beyond simply adopting Western political parties and judicial structures.
He stressed that democracy should be viewed as a continuous process rather than a destination and argued that African countries should be willing to reassess the system they inherited.
Obasanjo noted that some of the countries from which African nations adopted Western liberal democracy were themselves reconsidering aspects of the system.
He questioned why Africans should not equally examine whether the model adequately serves their societies.
“Call it what you like, just make sure it has history, culture and values that are African. You can call it democracy if you like, you can call it African democracy. In that case it will be African with African context and African content,” he said.
The 2026 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Democracy Dialogue was chaired by Obasanjo and attended by former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and former Vice President Namadi Sambo.
Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed hosted the event, which also attracted constitutional experts and civil society representatives from across the continent.
