Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) candidate in the 2023 presidential election, has declared that Nigeria is not a democratic country, arguing that the fundamental principles of democracy are absent.

Speaking on Arise TV’s Prime Time on Tuesday, Obi maintained that the government does not reflect the will of the people.

“I have said it, and I maintain that there is no democracy in Nigeria today,” Obi stated. “Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, and for the people. But today, the government we have is not of the people. It is not by the people because the people didn’t vote. It wasn’t their votes. I’m not just talking about the presidency; it’s across the line. Look at what happened in Edo. Can you call that democracy?”

Obi also criticized the government for prioritizing extravagant spending over essential services.

“I went to an IDP camp where thousands of people don’t have primary healthcare. They were begging me for just one nurse, which I promised to provide. There isn’t even a primary school for the children, and I told them I would make sure that happens,” he said.

He questioned the rationale behind spending N21 billion on renovating the Vice President’s residence while basic infrastructure remains neglected.

“So, what are you doing for a country that just spent N21 billion to renovate the house for the vice president who isn’t even living there? And you cannot even have a primary school for kids who will be Nigeria’s future leaders?” Obi lamented.

In March, he criticized President Bola Tinubu for declaring a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara. He warned that Nigeria’s democracy, which had been progressing since 1999, is now deteriorating under Tinubu’s administration.