Obasanjo: African Democracy Has Caged Africans

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo used a major continental dialogue in Bauchi to deliver a blunt verdict, arguing that African democracy caged Africans by forcing a foreign political model onto a continent it was never designed for

Obasanjo spoke as a panelist and chair at the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Democracy Dialogue 2026 in Bauchi State, themed "Beyond Elections: Can Political Parties and the Judiciary Save African Democracy?" The event drew a heavyweight lineup, including Ghanaian President John Mahama, Vice President Kashim Shettima, former President Goodluck Jonathan, and former Sierra Leonean President Ernest Koroma.

Obasanjo did not hold back on his central point.

"There is no democracy in Africa, but borrowed and forced liberal democracy that has caged Africans," he said.

Obasanjo pushed the audience to confront an uncomfortable question directly.

"Is there African democracy? Let us not deceive ourselves. There's nothing like African democracy. We were given Western liberal democracy by our colonial masters," he said.

He explained that his concern has been building for some time, extending beyond Nigeria and Africa to democratic performance globally.

"For quite some time, I have been increasingly worried about the performance of democracy in Africa, and indeed, in other regions of the world," he said.

Obasanjo offered a vivid comparison to describe the mismatch between imported democratic structures and African realities.

"The democracy we practice has no African context, no African content, and 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.

He was equally critical of the winner-takes-all nature of the system as currently practiced.

"In practice, we have winner-takes-all, first-past-the-post. If you beat me by one vote then you take it all and whatever I have does not matter," Obasanjo said, arguing this structure encourages political rivals to treat each other as enemies rather than partners in governance.

Obasanjo was careful to clarify exactly which democratic model he was critiquing, noting that the crisis is not universal.

"Let me emphasise that we are referring to Western liberal democracy because the Chinese will not agree with you that their own democracy is dying. And maybe the Swiss, who have practised some form of direct democracy, may also not agree with you that their democracy is dying," he said, adding that liberal Western democracy remains the dominant model across Europe, the Americas, much of Southeast Asia, Australia, and Africa.