Obasanjo: Winner-Takes-All Democracy Fails Nigeria’s Diversity

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has warned that Nigeria’s winner-takes-all democracy fails to protect the country’s defining diversity, leaving many communities feeling permanently excluded when their preferred candidates lose.

Speaking on Tuesday at the 2026 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Democracy Dialogue in Bauchi, Obasanjo said the Western liberal model practised across Africa lacks the continent’s historical, cultural and social context. He described it as an ill-fitting “dress” that produces a first-past-the-post system in which “if you beat me by one vote then you take it all and whatever I have does not matter.”

He linked the problem directly to the management of diversity.

“Nigeria is what it is because of our diversity. Remove diversity out of Nigeria you will probably have Republic of Oduduwa, that will not be Nigeria or Republic of Danfodio, that will not be Nigeria. That diversity must be nourished and be taken care of,” Obasanjo said.

In a country of more than 250 ethnic groups and multiple religions, the zero-sum nature of electoral victory often intensifies identity competition. When one party or candidate wins by a narrow margin, access to appointments, contracts, development projects and even basic security can shift sharply toward the winning side. Residents of multi-ethnic areas frequently describe a sense that their group becomes invisible or marginalised until the next election cycle.

Obasanjo noted that the concept of “loyal opposition” sits uneasily in many African languages, where the word for opposition can translate as “enemy.” The result, he argued, is a political culture that seeks to crush rather than accommodate rivals. This dynamic plays out on the ground in mixed communities where electoral defeat is experienced not only as a political setback but as a practical loss of voice and resources.

The former president called for a democratic system rooted in African history, culture and values, one that deliberately nourishes diversity rather than treating it as a problem to be managed after the votes are counted. He stressed that Nigeria’s identity depends on this diversity being protected and nurtured, not sidelined by the logic of winner-takes-all.

The dialogue, themed around the roles of political parties and the judiciary beyond elections, brought together African leaders including former President Goodluck Jonathan and other stakeholders in Bauchi. Obasanjo’s remarks underscore a long-standing concern: without reforms that give every group a sustained stake in governance, the system risks deepening the very divisions it is meant to manage.