Former President Olusegun Obasanjo recounted the loss of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a 1998 local government election in Ogun State, attributing it to his refusal to engage in bribery of police and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) personnel.
Speaking at a high-level consultation on ‘Rethinking Western Liberal Democracy in Africa’ in Abeokuta on Monday, Obasanjo shared his experience with politicians and professors. He disclosed that party leaders had proposed allocating money for the police and INEC, a suggestion he rejected, believing that government workers, including INEC officials and policemen, received monthly salaries.
Obasanjo expressed discomfort with the term ‘Nigerian factor’ in discussions about democracy and development, noting that he encountered it during the first local government election. He narrated the incident in 1998 when party leaders advocated for bribery, emphasizing his refusal to succumb to the so-called ‘Nigerian factor.’
“In 1998, we had the first local government election. We had parties, and here in Abeokuta, we met in my office, and they came up and said, ‘look, this is money for INEC, money for police.’ At a stage I said, ‘what nonsense! Is the police not being paid, and INEC too?’ They said ‘that’s how we do it. I said ‘you cannot do that.’ So, they didn’t do that. And of course, we lost all the local governments,” Obasanjo recounted.
He acknowledged feeling guilty after the loss and revealed that during the subsequent State Assembly election, he distanced himself from the process, refusing to participate. Despite his non-involvement, the election results remained the same.
Obasanjo underscored that Western liberal democracy in Africa has not fully considered human nature and the African situation. He called for a realistic approach, highlighting the impact of poverty on democracy and the tendency for a hungry person to sell their vote for a meager amount.
“When you are hungry, whatever anybody tells you cannot go in. Poverty is a great enemy of democracy. Ignorance or lack of education is a great enemy of democracy. And we seem to be deliberately fomenting poverty and lack of education,” he emphasized.”