Stakeholders in Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu States have offered mixed assessments of Nigeria’s democratic journey since the return to civilian rule in 1999, citing achievements and persistent challenges.

The stakeholders, who spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in commemoration of the June 12 Democracy Day celebration, highlighted gains in political stability, civic participation and institutional development.

An Ebonyi-based lawyer, Mr Emeka Odunukwe, said Nigeria had made remarkable progress by sustaining uninterrupted democratic governance for 27 years.

Odunukwe noted that regular elections and peaceful transitions of power at different levels reflected democratic growth.

“However, electoral disputes, weak institutions and concerns over the rule of law remain issues requiring urgent attention,” he said.

Also speaking, Prof. Gilbert Chukwu, a political scientist at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, described Nigeria’s democratic experience as a “work in progress”.

According to him, democratic consolidation goes beyond conducting elections and includes strengthening institutions, ensuring accountability and promoting inclusive governance.

“Nigeria has recorded significant milestones, but corruption, insecurity and political exclusion continue to undermine public confidence in democracy,” Chukwu said.

Another lecturer in Political Science at the Ebonyi State University (EBSU), Abakaliki , Dr Chinedu Onwe, said citizens were becoming more politically aware and actively participating in governance.

He attributed the increasing role of civil society organisations and social media in promoting accountability to the growth of democratic culture.

“Democracy is gradually deepening, but reforms in the electoral system and political parties are necessary to sustain progress,” Onwe added.

Similarly, a former member of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Chief Eusebius Elom, commended democratic institutions for surviving periods of political tension and economic difficulties.

He, however, urged leaders to prioritise good governance, transparency and the welfare of citizens.

“Democracy must deliver tangible benefits to the people. Improved living standards will strengthen citizens’ faith in the system,” Elom said.

On her part, Mrs Ngozi Nwankwo, a trader at the Abakaliki International Market, said democracy had given citizens freedom of expression and greater opportunities to participate in public affairs.

She nonetheless expressed concern over rising economic hardship and unemployment.

“People appreciate democratic freedoms, but government at all levels must do more to address economic challenges affecting ordinary Nigerians,” she said.

The stakeholders maintained that while Nigeria’s democracy had recorded notable achievements since 1999, efforts should be intensified to strengthen institutions, promote credible elections, enhance the rule of law and ensure good governance.

They expressed optimism that sustained reforms and active citizen engagement would further consolidate democratic gains and strengthen national development.

In Anambra, Mr Stanley Okafor, Executive Director of the Leadership Orientation and Basic Rights Advocacy Centre (LOBRAC), has called for the abolition of Nigeria’s current state-based federal structure and a return to the regional parliamentary system as a solution to the nation’s political challenges.

Okafor said that the struggle for democracy in Nigeria was driven by the desire of citizens to enjoy civil liberties, the rule of law and accountability in government.

According to him, the country’s democratic journey since 1999 has fallen short of these expectations, resulting in what he described as a fractured democracy and a decline in effective political leadership.

“Unfortunately, Nigeria has gone since 1999 from a fledgling to a fractured democracy, and there seems to be a collapse of political authority on the part of government,” he said.

He said the current democratic experience had failed to deliver the quality of governance Nigerians had anticipated.

The legal practitioner argued that restructuring the country along regional lines would promote healthy competition, self-reliance and accelerated development across the regions.

In his contribution, Mr Pascal Obinwanne, a former councilor in Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra, said Nigeria still has a long way to go in achieving democratic goals.

He described democracy as a system of government that recognised the power of the people to freely choose their leaders who would work for the well being of the citizens in accordance with the rule of law.

“If I may ask, what we have today in Nigeria, is it the real democracy? Do the people actually have the power to choose their leader?

“Of course, the answer is a typical no. Here in Nigeria, elections are premeditated. The money-bag political godfathers decide who wins elections. The vote of the common does not count.

“True democracy recognises that political power belongs to the people, so if we must say Nigeria is a democracy, then we must allow the people to freely choose the leaders,” Obinwanne said.

He called on the youths of Nigeria to join politics, so that they could participate actively and bring a turnaround in the political life of the nation.

Obinwanne urged the political class to purge themselves of selfishness, greed, corruption, and allow the selfless service drive their political ambition.

Also speaking, Mr. Lawrence Ubadike, an Onitsha-based social commentator and political activist, said the celebration of democracy day in Nigeria is “a stark reminder of the failure of political system that have left the people helpless and hopeless”.

He argued that democratic government in Nigeria had not been able to address the fundamental challenges and maladministration of the military regime era.

“We all glamour for democracy during the agonising years of military rule. We sang, danced and celebrated that we now have democracy in 1999. But if I may ask, how far and how well are we doing today?

“This is not the democracy that we longed for. Take into consideration the plight of the people in the country, and tell me what you feel about governance,” Ubadike queried.

Ubadike positioned that for democracy to achieve its goals, the political class must put service above self interest, stressing that democracy was still the best form of government when the interest of the people comes first.

Meanwhile, a cross section of stakeholders in Enugu State, have lamented the absence of robust and coordinated South-East development within the 27 years of uninterrupted democratic rule.

They, however, commended the individual states in their achievements on infrastructure and human capital development in terms of providing skills for youths.

The stakeholders noted that the entire residents of the five states in the South-East should have fared well with interconnected service development that would make life seamless.

Speaking, the Chairman of Ndigbo Unity Forum (NUF), Chief Augustine Chukwudum, said that the absence of coordinated regional development remained worrisome.

Chukwudum noted that individual states in the zone had performed well in road infrastructure, urban renewal of metropolises and rural access roads to ameliorate suffering of the people but there was no connectivity of these infrastructure with other states.

According to him, till date, the zone do not have a coordinated zonal railway system, fibre backbone, gas supply pipeline and seaport among others, which are hallmarks of developed countries of the world.

He noted that large-scale well-planned agriculture gave the zone its major source of revenue before independence and profiled the zone as the fastest growing economy then.

He noted that the assessment became imperative following backward development of a zone that was highly blessed with human and natural resources.

Corroborating, a public affairs analyst, Mr Camillus Ogbuagu, noted that successive administrations in various South-East states might point to achievements in road construction, education, healthcare and security.

He however, noted concerns about absence of large-scale and long-term projects.

Ogbuagu said that after 27 years of uninterrupted democratic governance, many people expected the region to have achieved greater economic transformation, industrialisation, modern agricultural development, and integrated infrastructure capable of driving long-term sustainable growth.

He said that residents of states in the region continued to face significant challenges, including high cost and inadequate transportation networks, rising food costs, epileptic power supply, high cost of rent and limited industrial capacity.

“Nevertheless, these national challenges should not be used by our leaders as excuses for underperformance. Instead, they should inspire innovation, collaboration, and creative solutions.

“Going forward, all elected officials in the South-East must take deliberate and coordinated steps to ensure meaningful and measurable progress across the region in order to uplift standards of living of millions of our people.

“Development should not be viewed solely from the perspective of individual states but through an integrated and regional lens such as what is obtainable in developed regions, countries and continents such as Great Britain, USA, Europe among others.”

The President of the Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network (CRRAN), Mr Olu Omotayo, said democracy had brought notable achievements over the years, but insecurity had overshadowed many of the gains.

“It is good that we are in a democratic dispensation. A lot has been achieved, but the main issue now is security.

“There is no way citizens can enjoy the dividends of democracy, economic growth or infrastructural development if there is no security of lives and property,” he said.

According to him, the right to life remains the foremost fundamental right under the Constitution, making it imperative for government to guarantee the safety of citizens.

Omotayo urged both the Federal and State Governments to work collaboratively to address the country’s security challenges.

Speaking on the proposed establishment of state police, Omotayo said the initiative could complement existing security structures if constitutional amendments were expedited.

He explained that the process required approval by the National Assembly and concurrence by a significant number of state Houses of Assembly.

Also speaking, a political analyst, Mr Bennet Edeh, said Nigeria had made some progress under democratic governance, although the country was yet to attain its desired level of development.

“So far, so good. We are not where we expect to be, but we are making steady progress,” he said.

However, Edeh expressed concern over the security situation across the country, describing the performance of both national and sub-national governments in the area as

He attributed the challenge partly to the centralised policing structure and reiterated calls for the creation of state police.

According to Edeh, governors currently lack direct control over security agencies operating within their states, as commissioners of police take directives from the Inspector-General of Police.

“I think state police will go a long way in tackling the current insecurity in the country. Although there are fears that state governments could abuse the system; it’s time to give it a trial and see how it works,” he said.

Prof. Gerald Ezirim, a Political Scientist says Nigeria should be commended for uninterrupted 27 years of democracy but noted that democracy dividends achieved within this period were not commensurate to 27 years.

Ezirim, who is a lecturer at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) blamed corruption, poor governance and abuse of fundamental rights of citizens as some of the problems facing democracy in Nigeria.

The political scientist identified inability of three arms of government to function independently and effectively to serve as checks and balances to one another as major problem of democracy in Nigeria.

“In a democratic government, there are three arms of government; the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary.

“Unfortunately, now in our country, we have only one arm of government; the Executive, while the Legislature and Judiciary have become appendages of the executive.

“This undemocratic development has killed the principle of separation of power anchored on checks and balances that ensure smooth and effective running of a democratic government in any country,” he said.

Speaking, Chief David Ugwu, a politician and former House of Representatives aspirant, said that elected leaders and political parties in the country have not done much to strengthen democracy.

Ugwu noted that the country celebrated 27 years of uninterrupted democracy on June 12 but political parties in the country still lacked ideologies and internal democracy.

He condemned the recent political parties primaries held across the country for the 2027 general elections.

“There is no internal democracy in political parties in the country as they have continued to impose candidates on their members.