DEMOCRACY is fundamentally the expression of the people’s sovereign right to choose their leaders through the ballot box. This timeless principle is captured in the 1863 definition by United States President Abraham Lincoln: democracy is government of the people, by the people and for the people.
Sadly, in Nigeria, that definition has been turned on its head. Our democracy has increasingly become one of the courts, by the courts.
In effect, it is fast degenerating into a dubious political enterprise.
The anomalies manifest in many forms, from pre-election to post-election litigation. At the slightest pretext, politicians with ulterior motives rush to court in pursuit of political advantage rather than justice.
The aberration continues to grow.
