Jonathan Nwokpor
Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate for 2023, has come under fire from the Northern Awareness Network for remarks he made regarding the elections in South Africa.
According to Obi, the most recent election in South Africa is a brilliant illustration of what a transparent process ought to entail.
The former governor of Anambra State stated in a post on Saturday via his X handle that the differences between the two countries’ election processes are unfortunate and a reflection of Nigeria’s continuous difficulties with democratic administration.
Salihu Suleiman, the leader of the northern group, said that Obi’s parallels were deceptive because the political histories and settings of the two countries are very different.
“South Africa has a long history of democracy, having gone through significant political reform and transformation over several decades of practice. On the other hand, Nigeria only transitioned to democracy in 1999 after years of military rule,” explained Suleiman.
He claims that Obi’s attempt to compare the two nations’ electoral histories shows a lack of knowledge of their different political environments.
“Peter Obi’s attempt to compare the electoral processes of South Africa and Nigeria is quite ridiculous.
“The two countries are at different stages of democratic development, and it would be more prudent to focus on addressing the specific challenges facing the Nigerian electoral system rather than drawing unwarranted comparisons,” he said.
The group clarified that while South Africa’s democracy is more developed than Nigeria’s, Nigerians, who have been working hard to create a functional democracy, should not be unfairly treated since their electoral system is still in its infancy.
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