Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Tuesday, insisted that African countries must jettison Western Liberal democracy for African-style democracy, insisting that only this would stop politicians from winning elections by “hook or crook”.
Obasanjo said the adoption of Western liberal democracy gave room for electoral malpractice and encouraged politicians to win elections by “hook or crook” with the judiciary being incapacitated.
The former President spoke in Abeokuta, Ogun state, at an event organised to mark his 87th birthday.
Obasanjo at the event launched the Olusegun Obasanjo Leadership Institute (OOLI), an arm of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) and his new book titled: “The Art of Leading: Unconventional Wisdom from Biblical”.
The event was attended by former President Goodluck Jonathan, the Catholic bishop of Sokoto, Mathew Kukah, governors Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang (Plateau) and Douye Diri (Bayelsa); former President of Ghana, John Mahama and former governor Osun state Olagunsoye Oyinlola.
Obasanjo who argued that Western democracy is not relevant to our culture and history, said Africa needs to adopt a form of democracy that is “sufficiently African in content” that will recognise African culture and history.
“We have inherited liberal democracy from the West because they are the ones who colonised us and they only gave us what they had.
“Now, I believe that when we are able to have democracy that is African in content, sufficiently African in content, in culture and in history and in practice, the sort of thing that happened in Plateau state recently will not happen because the idea of ‘well, we will win by hook or by crook, you go to court, there will not be the question of going to court because you won’t have to win by hook or by crook, you will have to settle it the way we settle things in Africa before liberal democracy’.
“Let me say two or three things about this liberal democracy, they (West) have something they called loyal opposition. I have researched African languages for the meaning of opposition, the meaning in almost all African languages is enemy, how do you have a loyal enemy?
“So what they have given to us does not make sense in the African context, African way we have consensus, we sit under the tree and we iron it out and we then decide okay, this is the way it will go, there is no opposition, but they (West), they have loyal opposition because they came out of monarchy and you can be loyal to the monarchy.
“We are rethinking liberal democracy because if it is relevant to their culture and their history, what they have given us is not relevant to our culture and to our history”, Obasanjo said.
The former President also stressed the need for recruiting “selfless and transformational” leaders to take over the mantle of leadership from those he described as “transactional” leaders.
He said: “Leadership is preeminent in anything we do and if leadership is preeminent in anything we do, how do we recruit, how do we train, how do we nurture leaders in all works of life? Leaders that will be transformational instead of transactional, leaders that will be servant leaders, sacrificial.
“In addition to writing a book and talking about it, can it be taught, can leadership be taught? Can we look at where leadership had worked I believe that for me we cannot go farther than in the Bible.
“But, also if it can be taught, what do we need to teach, what do we need to inculcate, what do we need to make people absorb leadership tenets, leadership principles and factors that will make us move fast and move far together and that is what OOLI is about”.
In his remarks, former President Goodluck Jonathan lamented that democracy in Nigeria is faced with a lot of challenges such as greed in leadership, tribalism, nepotism, social vices, access to justice, human rights issues and quality of elections.
The former President of Ghana, John Mahama called on African leaders to practise all-inclusive democracy which according to him allows for the views of the opposition.
Mahama said, “Most African countries hold elections regularly now. You will find out that one leader will take one step forward, one leader may take one step or two steps backwards and even another leader will keep us standing still.
“Effective leadership is therefore important and it is one that continues to make progress even in the face of challenges.”