NYFA LEADERS' DIGEST

WHEN MANDATE DESCENDS INTO MADNESS: NIGERIA'S DEMOCRACY ON THE PRECIPICE

In every mature democracy, the rule of law serves as the unseen hand that restrains the excesses of power, ensuring that no individual—however celebrated or influential—stands above the constitution. It guarantees that institutions exist to serve the citizenry, not to indulge the caprices of politicians. Yet, in contemporary Nigeria, this sacred principle lies gravely imperilled. The Senate and the Judiciary—two cardinal pillars of democratic governance—have abdicated their constitutional obligations and joined the chorus: “On your mandate we shall stand.” What ought to have symbolised electoral legitimacy has degenerated into a perilous refrain of uncritical allegiance. This is not governance; it is a travesty, a tragic pantomime wherein checks and balances have been supplanted by political choreography.

The disintegration of checks and balances is a stark reality in Nigeria. The constitution envisages a system wherein authority is apportioned among three co-equal arms—Executive, Legislature, and Judiciary—each designed to act as a counterweight to the other. However, when these arms entwine themselves in servile solidarity with the executive, democracy becomes a hollow simulacrum. Legislative paralysis has set in, with the Senate languishing as a sycophantic appendage, ratifying laws to gratify the presidency rather than deliberating for the common good.

The judiciary, erstwhile the last bastion of hope for the ordinary citizen, now appears compromised, transmuting into an instrument of political validation rather than an arbiter of justice. Justice is no longer blind—it is shackled. The executive, bereft of institutional resistance, bestrides the polity with untrammelled authority, promulgating policies without scrutiny, dispensing appointments without merit, and appropriating national resources without accountability.

This corrosion of the rule of law exacts a tangible toll upon the Nigerian populace. Economic mismanagement has become endemic, with inflation soaring, unemployment festering, and poverty proliferating like wildfire. Insecurity flourishes as the state obsesses over power rather than protection, and banditry, terrorism, and communal strife escalate. Democracy devoid of justice is tyranny masquerading in democratic garb, leading to public disillusionment, voter apathy, and the disintegration of the social contract.

Nigeria's malaise transcends the mandate of a solitary man—it emanates from a system that extols loyalty above integrity, power above principle. The good people did not elect to inhabit this morass; it was contrived by elites who bartered governance for personal aggrandisement. They have weaponised ethnicity, debased institutions, and muzzled dissent—all under the sanctimonious banner of “standing on mandate.”

The imperative of renewal lies in institutional fortitude and civic resurgence. The judiciary must reassert its independence and dispense justice without fear or favour. Lawmakers must rekindle fidelity to their oath—to serve the people, not the presidency. Nigerians must transcend ethnic and partisan cleavages to demand accountability, and civil society, the press, and grassroots movements must amplify the clarion call for reform. Democracy is no passive spectacle; it thrives only when citizens insist upon transparency, equity, and the supremacy of law.

Nigeria teeters at a historic juncture. Shall we persist along the trajectory of institutional servitude, or shall we reclaim the promise of a polity governed by law rather than men? The answer resides not in the hollow echo of a mandate song, but in the audacity to restore the sinews of our democracy.

Team nBAU