Power, Dominance, and Democratic Erosion: A Deep Critique of Political Hegemony in Nigeria

Power, Dominance, and Democratic Erosion: A Deep Critique of Political Hegemony in Nigeria

By Khaleed Yazeed

Nigeria’s democratic project, nearly three decades old in its current form, is increasingly showing the cracks of a system hijacked by personal ambition, political dominance, and institutional manipulation. At the center of this unfolding crisis is the style of governance exemplified by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a presidency that illustrates how power, when concentrated without accountability, can erode democracy, compromise institutions, and distort public trust.

The consolidation of power

Tinubu’s approach to governance reflects an obsession with dominance rather than institutional development. Appointments, political endorsements, and legislative interactions are increasingly treated as tools for consolidating personal influence. Cabinet positions are distributed less on merit and policy alignment, and more on loyalty and political expediency. The checks and balances that a robust democracy requires are weakened, as party structures are leveraged to suppress dissent, stifle opposition, and reward cronies.

Electoral Engineering and the Illusion of Choice

Nigeria’s electoral system, ideally a mechanism for representative governance, is increasingly a theatre for engineered outcomes. The 2023 elections demonstrated the deep entrenchment of political machinery in skewing results. Reports of selective voter suppression, opaque result collation, and manipulations of INEC procedures underscore a troubling pattern: elections have become less about the voice of the people and more about the triumph of the entrenched elite.

Even policy frameworks are subordinated to political calculation. The public sees reforms in education, health, and economic management not as genuine development, but as instruments for short-term popularity or vote capture. The optics of governance take precedence over sustainable nation-building.

The Erosion of Democratic Norms

Beyond procedural manipulation, Tinubu’s presidency reveals a systemic erosion of democratic norms. Transparency, accountability, and institutional independence are compromised when security agencies, regulatory bodies, and fiscal authorities are subtly repurposed as tools for political leverage. Public dissent is often met with intimidation, while corruption scandals involving party affiliates go uninvestigated or quietly buried. Citizens are left questioning whether democracy is a lived reality, or merely a ceremonial cloak for elite dominance.

The Danger of Personalized Governance

What is particularly concerning is the personalization of governance. The Nigerian state appears to function less as an institutional democracy and more as an extension of the executive’s political brand. Policy priorities are determined less by national interest and more by political survival calculations. The distinction between state resources and party interests is increasingly blurred, a trend that undermines social trust and deepens societal cynicism.

• The Call for a Democratic Reawakening

Nigeria is at a crossroads. Citizens, civil society, and independent institutions must demand a return to principle-driven governance. True democracy cannot survive under a model where political dominance eclipses merit, where governance is measured by loyalty rather than competence, and where the consolidation of power is prioritized over the welfare of the people.

President Tinubu’s style is a cautionary tale of what happens when political ambition becomes a substitute for democratic responsibility. If Nigeria is to avoid sliding further into authoritarian habits under the guise of electoral democracy, urgent corrective measures are required: institutional strengthening, electoral transparency, and a reinvigoration of civic engagement.

The Nigerian people must remember: democracy is not a spectator sport. It requires vigilance, courage, and a relentless insistence that power serves the citizenry, not the ambitions of one individual or a select few. Without such vigilance, power consolidates, opposition falters, and the promise of freedom and accountability erodes, one political maneuver at a time.

K-Y