Former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Attahiru Jega, has cautioned that democracy in West Africa is regressing due to poor governance and weak leadership, creating opportunities for military coups.
Jega issued the warning on Tuesday in Abuja while speaking at the “Reflection Conference on Democratic Elections in West Africa,” organised by Yiaga Africa. He accused elected officials of mismanaging public resources, prioritising personal enrichment over citizens’ welfare.
“Elected officials have essentially converted public resources into personal fortunes at the expense of citizens’ needs and aspirations,” he stated.
Citing recent military takeovers in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Niger, Jega described these developments as signs of deepening public dissatisfaction with governance across the region. He warned that unless leaders improve governance, West Africa risks further instability.
“The reversals or obstruction of expected gains of democratisation, occasioned by these persistent challenges, have given the excuses needed by coupists to stage a comeback, a dangerous phenomenon which could potentially engulf the region,” he said.
Jega also criticised the electoral processes in the region, arguing that they have become mere formalities designed to keep incumbent presidents and ruling parties in power.
“Elections have become largely farcical rituals designed to ensure retention of the incumbent president and party,” he remarked.
He further highlighted the dangers of identity politics, which he said has deepened ethnic and religious divisions, making multiparty democracy “fractious, conflict-ridden, often violent, and divisive, rather than accommodative or unifying diversity.”
To address these challenges, Jega called for urgent reforms to strengthen democratic institutions, enforce accountability, and ensure that elections genuinely reflect the people’s will.
