Daniel Bwala, a presidential spokesperson, has dismissed claims by Peter Obi, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, that Nigeria is no longer a democratic country.
Bwala insisted that democracy remains intact under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, saying that Obi still has not “recovered from the painful defeat of the 2023 polls.”
Speaking on ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, Obi had argued that the current government fails to meet essential democratic standards, stating, “There’s no democracy in Nigeria today. Nigeria today is not a democratic country. Let’s stop telling ourselves lies.”
Obi asserted that democracy is based on governance by the people through legitimate elections, but claimed that this is not the case in Nigeria.
“The government we have is one of the people. It’s not by the people, because the people didn’t vote—it wasn’t their votes,” he said. He added that this issue extends across various levels of government. “Look at what is happening across the board. Can you call that democracy? It’s not for the people.”
He further accused the government of suppressing dissent and restricting free speech, saying, “We are harassed every day. There’s no freedom of speech. And you know that. I can tell you there are so many people who have been detained in one place or the other because they’ve made one statement.”
Beyond governance, Obi criticised the Tinubu administration’s economic policies, questioning claims of progress. He dismissed assertions that economic reforms were yielding positive results, stating, “When you talk about improvements, there are not things you say; people feel them, people see them.”
He pointed to worsening economic indicators such as the depreciation of the naira and rising unemployment. “Somebody who makes dollar at 300-something, 400, is now 1,000. Unemployment, you know, everywhere,” he noted
On the removal of fuel subsidies, Obi questioned the government’s transparency, demanding proof of where the savings were being reinvested. “You say you want to save this money to be able to invest. Where? You have to invest in critical areas of development. Are we investing in education?” he asked.
He cited the poor state of primary education, particularly in IDP camps. “Just today, I visited an IDP camp. There are over 40,000 people in IDP camps around Abuja. The one I visited has over 4,000. They don’t have a primary school,” he said.
Regarding security and governance, Obi warned that Nigeria was on a dangerous path. “We’re heading into a state of nature, where anybody can do anything they want. Everything is collapsing,” he said.
He stressed that without the rule of law, economic stability and investment would remain impossible. “People go where there is law and order; nobody goes where there is chaos,” he asserted.
On the political crisis in Rivers State, Obi condemned the declaration of a state of emergency, calling it an unnecessary escalation of political tensions. “You cannot just take the action that has been taken in Rivers State. There’s a clear path to dealing with that issue,” he said.
Bwala, in a post on his X account on Wednesday, countered Obi’s assertions, saying that “As I listen to @PeterObi this evening struggling to play the opposition (oppose the government) I can’t help but shudder at his abysmal delivery. He was speaking devoid of facts, logical analysis and almost sounded like a tinkling cymbal or a sounding brass.
“Mr Gregory has still not recovered from the painful defeat of the 2023 polls. But I can understand his confusion because, as it stands today, he seems deserted in the banana republic of fantasy, wondering how he will convince his followers about his agreement to play a second fiddle in the 2027 wild goose chase of the opposition.n
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