Peter Obi Declares Nigeria Lacks Democracy Under Tinubu, Criticizes Governance

 Peter Obi, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, declared during a town hall in Onitsha, Anambra, that Nigeria is “not in a democracy” under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Speaking to a packed hall adorned with June 12 banners, Obi accused the government of undermining electoral integrity and civic freedoms, pointing to the 2023 election’s chaotic result uploads that sparked protests in Lagos and Abuja. He argued that true democracy requires free choice, not coercion, as citizens faced tear gas during 2024’s economic rallies.

Obi highlighted soaring fuel prices, with petrol at ₦1,239 per litre, and a naira trading at ₦1,600 to the dollar, burdening traders in Onitsha’s Main Market. He criticized the detention of 20 protesters in August 2024, who marched against hunger in Kano’s Sabon Gari, and INEC’s refusal to release 2023 election data, shrouding the process in secrecy.

Referencing the annulled 1993 election of MKO Abiola, Obi urged youth to reclaim Nigeria’s future, invoking memories of rallies at Lagos’s Freedom Park. The speech, livestreamed to millions, galvanized supporters waving LP flags, as Obi called for transparent elections by 2027. The government’s silence left Onitsha’s streets buzzing, with traders and students debating Nigeria’s democratic path amid economic turmoil.